Which Korean military unit is the strongest?

A new military entertainment show “The Iron Squad,” which kicked off on Tuesday, will be the ultimate showdown to determine which branch of the armed forces is the strongest by pitting former members of different units against each other.

Produced by Sky Channel and Channel A, the show is unlike many past military entertainment programs that featured celebrities experiencing military training.

In the show, four former members each from six of the toughest military units -- Sea Salvage & Rescue Unit, Special Duty Team, Naval Special Warfare Flotilla (UDT), the 707th Special Missions Group, Marine Corps Reconnaissance Battalion and Special Warfare Command -- will compete for the title of the strongest.

The members range from former military officers who spent years in the Special Forces to soldiers in their 20s readying to return to college. Contestants also include celebrities that served in Special Forces, such as singer Park Gun and boy band Click B’s Oh Jong-hyuk.

“The show is a survival program where people from the very best Special Forces teams in Korea compete for the strongest title,” said program director Lee Won-woong. “The world is on a high alert for survival and tensions are running high. I wanted to show that there are people who are protecting us and that we are protected.”

A panel of celebrities consisting of entertainer Kim Seong-joo, comedian Jang Dong-min, former UFC player Kim Dong-hyun, K-pop idols Super Junior’s Kim Hee-chul and Loona’s Chuu will provide running commentary along with Choi Young-jae who served in Special Forces for 10 years.

“The competition between the Special Forces members was quite fun to watch,” said Kim Seong-joo. “The members fight for their unit’s honor and don’t hold back, making the competition intense.”

The tension between the six teams could already be felt in the first episode as they gathered for the first time, especially between UDT and the 707 unit’s contestants in a pullup showdown and a trench fight.

“The Iron Squad” airs Tuesdays at 10:30 p.m. on Channel A and Sky Channel.

By Lim Jang-won (ljw@heraldcorp.com)