The comparative military ranks of Korea are the military insignia used by the two nations on the
Korean Peninsula
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic ...
, those being the
Republic of Korea Armed Forces
The Republic of Korea Armed Forces (), also known as the ROK Armed Forces, are the armed forces of South Korea. The ROK Armed Forces is one of the largest and most powerful standing armed forces in the world with a reported personnel strength o ...
(
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
) and the
Korean People's Army of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...
). The
United States Forces Korea
United States Forces Korea (USFK) is a sub-unified command of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). USFK is the joint headquarters for U.S. combat-ready fighting forces and components under the ROK/US Combined Forces Command (CFC) – a ...
personnel wear the ranks and insignia used by other service personnel of the
United States Armed Forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is ...
in the territories of the United States.
In the South Korean armed forces, ranks fall into one of four categories:
commissioned officer
An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service.
Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent contex ...
,
warrant officer
Warrant officer (WO) is a rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ranks, the mo ...
,
non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...
, and
junior enlisted ("''Byeong''"), in decreasing order of authority. Commissioned officer ranks are subdivided into
general
A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...
officers ("Jangseong"; 장성/將星),
field-grade officers ("Yeonggwan"; 영관/領官), and
company-grade officers ("Wigwan"; 위관/尉官). The ranks of all three branches (the
Army
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
,
Navy
A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...
, and
Air Force
An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...
) of the South Korean Armed Forces share the same titles in
Hangul
The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The l ...
. Most ranks of South and North Korea are identical, with some exceptions such as the supreme North Korean ranks.
While the North Korean ranks are inspired by the
Soviet ranks, the South Korean ranks are inspired by the United States.
The following table lists the comparative ranks of the militaries in Korea, including their rank titles and insignia. In this table, the North Korean military rank insignia shown is that of their Army field uniform
shoulder boards
A shoulder mark, also called rank slide, or slip-on, is a flat cloth sleeve worn on the shoulder strap of a uniform. It may bear rank or other insignia. A shoulder mark should not be confused with a ''shoulder board'' (which is an elaborate s ...
; their parade uniforms and uniforms of other branches use alternative color schemes with the same basic design. The South Korean likewise have subdued versions of their insignia in each of their branches.
Special ranks
})
,
, -
, Marshal of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
( ko, 공화국원수, Konghwaguk
Wonsu)
,
Officer ranks
The shoulder boards and sleeve stripes of South Korean ranks apply only to their navies. North Korea's
People's Army does not maintain a separate marine corps or naval infantry branch as part of their armed forces, although it does maintain two "amphibious sniper brigades" as part of the
North Korean Special Operation Force (NKSOF). North Korean insignia follow the Soviet pattern, while South Korean insignia follow a mix of American and British rank insignia traditions.
No one has held the five-star rank ''Wonsu'' in the history of the ROK Armed Forces.
Army ranks
All DPRK Marshalls wear Ground Force uniform as there is no division of Branch after this rank.
Air force ranks
Naval ranks
ROK Navy
commissioned officer
An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service.
Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent contex ...
ranks have two distinct sets of rank insignia: On
dress uniform
Full dress uniform, also known as a ceremonial dress uniform or parade dress uniform, is the most formal type of uniforms used by military, police, fire and other public uniformed services for official parades, ceremonies, and receptions, ...
a series of stripes similar to the United States Navy naval ranks are worn; on service uniforms, working uniforms, and special uniform situations (combat utilities and flight suits), the rank insignia are the same as the equivalent rank in the Army or the Air Force.
Marine Corps
Warrant officer ranks
All branches of the
South Korean armed forces
The Republic of Korea Armed Forces (), also known as the ROK Armed Forces, are the armed forces of South Korea. The ROK Armed Forces is one of the largest and most powerful standing armed forces in the world with a reported personnel strength of ...
maintain a single Warrant Officer rank known as ''
Junwi''.
Warrant Officer
Warrant officer (WO) is a rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ranks, the mo ...
s fall in between non-commissioned and commissioned officers. The rank is denoted by a gold-colored ''Sowi'' insignia and, in the case of the South Korean Navy, a single broken sleeve stripe. The
North Korean military does not maintain any equivalent Warrant Officer positions.
Enlisted ranks
Both North Korea and South Korea share the same enlisted rank structure among all of their military branches. Enlisted rank insignia differ however: The ROKAF uses a mix of American, British, and French practice while the KPA's insignia follow Soviet practice.
In the South Korean armed forces, personnel with ranks of ''Hasa'' through ''Wonsa'' are considered
non-commissioned officers
A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...
. There are enlisted ranks called "Corporal" and "Sergeant" in English, but they are not considered non-commissioned officer ranks, though they are treated as one if they hold an NCO position. ''Ideungbyeong'' (
Korean: 이등병;
Hanja
Hanja (Hangul: ; Hanja: , ), alternatively known as Hancha, are Chinese characters () used in the writing of Korean. Hanja was used as early as the Gojoseon period, the first ever Korean kingdom.
(, ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary, ...
: 2等兵), ''Ildeungbyeong'' (일등병; 1等兵), and ''Sangdeungbyeong'' (상등병; 上等兵) are commonly referred to as ''Ibyeong'', ''Ilbyeong'', and ''Sangbyeong'' respectively.
Army ranks
Air force ranks
Navy ranks
In reality, personnel in ''Sangsa'' and ''Wonsa'' rates are considered as
chief petty officer
A chief petty officer (CPO) is a senior non-commissioned officer in many navies and coast guards.
Canada
"Chief petty officer" refers to two ranks in the Royal Canadian Navy. A chief petty officer 2nd class (CPO2) (''premier maître de deuxiè ...
s (i.e. Chief Petty Officer and Master Chief Petty Officer, respectively) in the
South Korean navy. ''Byeongjang'' and below are commonly referred to as "''Subyeong''" (seaman).
Marine Corps
See also
*
Comparative military ranks
*
Comparative army officer ranks of Asia
Rank comparison chart of armies and land forces of Asian states.
Officers
Warrant officers
See also
* Comparative army officer ranks of the Americas
* Ranks and insignia of NATO armies officers
Commissioned officers' rank comparison chart ...
Notes
In the article, all South Korean ranks are spelled accordingly with the
Revised Romanization of Korean
Revised Romanization of Korean () is the official Korean language romanization system in South Korea. It was developed by the National Academy of the Korean Language from 1995 and was released to the public on 7 July 2000 by South Korea's Mini ...
system; all North Korean ranks use the
McCune-Reischauer system.
References
*
{{Military ranks by country
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic ...
Military comparisons