The Republic of Korea Army (ROKA; ko, 대한민국 육군;

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, wh ...

: 大韓民國陸軍; RR: ''Daehanminguk Yuk-gun''), also known as the ROK Army or South Korean Army, is the army of

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 ...

, responsible for ground-based warfare. It is the largest of the military branches of 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 of ...

with 420,000 members . This size is maintained through conscription; South Korean men must complete military service (18 months for army, auxiliary police and marine, 20 months for navy and conscripted firefighter, 21 months for air force and social service, 36 months for alternative service) between the age of 18 and 35.

History

The modern South Korean army traces its lineage back to the

Gwangmu Reform The Gwangmu Reform (Korean" 광무개혁, Hanja: 光武改革, ''Gwangmu Gaehyeok'') was a collection of reforms that were aimed at modernizing and westernizing the Korean Empire as it felt held back from what other countries had achieved in the ...

, when the Byeolgigun was established by Emperor Gojong in 1881. The 1st of every October is celebrated in South Korea as Armed Forces Day. It commemorates the day during the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

when units of the ROK Army first crossed the 38th Parallel, thus leading the UN Coalition north into North Korean territory for the first time. The National Security Guard Of South Korea was originally formed out of the Republic Of Korea Army. This organization was created during the United States-lead occupation period from 1945 to 1948. The National Security Guard Of South Korea was initially a reserve unit of the

National Police National Police may refer to the national police forces of several countries: *Afghanistan: Afghan National Police *Haiti: Haitian National Police *Colombia: National Police of Colombia *Cuba: Cuban National Police *East Timor: National Police of ...

. In addition, some of ethnic Koreans were Nationalist Chinese and post-Manchurian soldiers remnants of the Imperial Japanese Army also contributed to the force. The National Defense Force was established on January 15, 1946, replacing the United States lead constabulary from 1945. The outbreak of the

caught the South Korean forces unprepared, requiring the United Nations to intervene with U.S.-led forces. The South Korean military rapidly developed during the Korean War, suffering enormous casualties and loss of equipment. As the Soviets had armed North Korea, the United States armed and trained the South Korean military throughout the Korean War.

Current operational status

The South Korean army is structured to operate in both the mountainous terrain native to 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 o ...

(70% mountainous) and in North Korea with its 950,000 strong

Korean People's Army Ground Force The Korean People's Army Ground Force (KPAGF; ) is the main branch of the Korean People's Army, responsible for land-based military operations. History The Korean People's Army Ground Force was formed on August 20, 1947. It outnumbered and out ...

, two-thirds of which is permanently garrisoned in the frontline near the

DMZ A demilitarized zone (DMZ or DZ) is an area in which treaties or agreements between nations, military powers or contending groups forbid military installations, activities, or personnel. A DZ often lies along an established frontier or bounda ...

. The current administration has initiated a program over the next two decades to design a purely domestic means of self-defense, whereby

would be able to fully counter a

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 Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...

n attack. The ROK Army was formerly organized into 3 armies: the First Army (FROKA), Third Army (TROKA) and Second Operational Command; each with its own headquarters, corps, and divisions. The Third Army was responsible for the defense of the capital as well as the western section of the

. The First Army was responsible for the defense of the eastern section of the DMZ whereas the 2nd OC formed the rearguard. Under a restructuring plan aimed at reducing redundancy, the Second ROK Army was converted as the Second Operations Command in 2007, and the First and Third ROK Armies were merged as the Ground Operations Command in 2019.

Equipment

The army consists of 420,000 troops, approximately 2,130 tanks, 3,000 armored fighting vehicles, 6,200 artillery pieces, 60 guided missile systems, and 560 helicopters as of 2020. Main battle tank types include: 400

M48 Patton The M48 Patton is an American List of main battle tanks by generation#First generation, first-generation main battle tank (MBT) introduced in February 1952, being designated as the 90mm Gun Tank: M48. It was designed as a replacement for the M2 ...

series and its upgrades such as M48A3K, M48A5, and M48A5K, 33

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

T-80U List of models and variants of the T-80 main battle tank. Command tanks with additional radio equipment have ''K'' added to their designation for ''komandirskiy'' ("command"), for example, ''T-80BK'' is the command version of the T-80B. Version ...

and 2 T-80UK (given by Russia to pay off debt), as well as 1,511

K1A1 The K1 is a South Korean main battle tank designed by Chrysler Defense (later General Dynamics Land Systems) and Hyundai Precision Industry (later Hyundai Rotem) for the Republic of Korea Armed Forces. The vehicle's design was based on Chrys ...

and K1 tanks, which bear a 120 mm

smoothbore A smoothbore weapon is one that has a barrel without rifling. Smoothbores range from handheld firearms to powerful tank guns and large artillery mortars. History Early firearms had smoothly bored barrels that fired projectiles without signi ...

gun A gun is a ranged weapon designed to use a shooting tube (gun barrel) to launch projectiles. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquid (e.g. in water guns/cannons, spray guns for painting or pressure washing, pr ...

and are of local manufacture. The future replacement for the K1 and K1A1 MBTs has been named the

K2 Black Panther The K2 Black Panther (Hangul: K2 '흑표'; Hanja: K2 '黑豹') is a South Korean main battle tank designed by the Agency for Defense Development and manufactured by Hyundai Rotem. The tank was designed to meet the strategic requirements of the Re ...

(흑표;黑豹 Heukpyo), which will be fitted with a 1500 hp MTU-based engine, 55-caliber 120 mm main gun with

autoloader An autoloader or auto-loader is a mechanical aid or replacement for the personnel that load ordnance into crew-served weapons without being an integrated part of the gun itself. The term is generally only applied to larger weapons, such as naval ...

. The new tank will also feature

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...

equipment as well as all-bearing

laser A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word "laser" is an acronym for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation". The fir ...

detection and defense systems, anti-missile active protection, and heavy

reactive armor Reactive armour is a type of vehicle armour that reacts in some way to the impact of a weapon to reduce the damage done to the vehicle being protected. It is most effective in protecting against shaped charges and specially hardened kinetic ener ...

and sensor package comparable to the American

M1A2 Abrams The M1 Abrams is a third-generation American main battle tank designed by Chrysler Defense (now General Dynamics Land Systems) and named for General Creighton Abrams. Conceived for modern armored ground warfare and now one of the heaviest t ...

and German

Leopard 2A6 The Leopard 2 is a 3rd generation main battle tank originally developed by Krauss-Maffei in the 1970s for the West German army. The tank first entered service in 1979 and succeeded the earlier Leopard 1 as the main battle tank of the West Germ ...

. The ROK Army is planning to field approximately 443 Black Panthers. In addition Republic of Korea manufactures the K-9 howitzer which have been exported to Turkey as the T-155 howitzer as well as the ZMA series TIFV's which saw action in UN peacekeeping operations ( PKO) as part of the Malaysian peacekeeping forces. A variation of the K200, the KAFVs can be retrofitted to bear a 90 mm cannon, 40 mm grenade turret, M230-1 Chain gun Turret, or MK-30 Chaingun Turret. A replacement for K200 series IFVs are currently being tested, designated as

K21 The K21 is a South Korean infantry fighting vehicle. A replacement for the K200-series, it was formerly designated as K300 or XK21 KNIFV (Korea Next-generation Infantry Fighting Vehicle). The initial production began in 2009, with the Republic of ...

KNIFV (Korea Next generation Infantry Fighting Vehicle), which will have various capabilities for both land and naval warfare. The initial production is set for 2008, with the ROKA planning to field approximately 600 units. The

KNIFV's chassis will be constructed entirely out of fiberglass, reducing the vehicle's load and enabling it to travel at higher speeds without bulky and powerful engines. When constructed, the NIFV will be lighter than other IFVs, including the American Bradley series and Russian BMP series, increasing both speed and payload. The ROK Army also fields the mobile K-SAM "Pegasus"(천마/天馬; Cheonma), fitted with 8 missiles that fly at maximum speeds of Mach 2.6, and the K-30 "Biho" series, which features a 30 mm twin gun system for anti-aerial fire support. Besides having vehicles and equipment of their own design as well as American models, the ROK Army also possesses inventories of Russian-built AFVs, including

BMP-3 The BMP-3 is a Soviet and Russian infantry fighting vehicle, successor to the BMP-1 and BMP-2. The abbreviation BMP stands for ''boevaya mashina pehoty'' (, literally "infantry combat vehicle"). Production history The design of the BMP-3 ('' O ...

IFVs and T-80U MBTs, given by the Russian government to pay off the financial debt owed to South Korea. Other notable foreign equipment in service with the ROK Army includes the

Mistral Mistral may refer to: * Mistral (wind) in southern France and Sardinia Automobiles * Maserati Mistral, a Maserati grand tourer produced from 1963 until 1970 * Nissan Mistral, or Terrano II, a Nissan 4×4 produced from 1993 until 2006 * Microp ...

MANPADS Man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS or MPADS) are portable surface-to-air missiles. They are guided weapons and are a threat to low-flying aircraft, especially helicopters. Overview MANPADS were developed in the 1950s to provide military ...

. In 2015, it was reported by South Korean lawmakers that more than 58,000 out of 100,549 South Korean soldiers at the Korean Demilitarized Zone lacked body armor capable of protection from North Korean infantry firearms. The possession of only 42,030 body armor sets leaves 58,519 soldiers without body armor, and only 3,147 of the 42,030 sets are capable of protection from the

AK-74 The AK-74 (Russian: , tr. ''Avtomat Kalashnikova obraztsa 1974 goda'', lit. 'Kalashnikov assault rifle model 1974) is an assault rifle designed by small arms designer Mikhail Kalashnikov in 1974. While primarily associated with the Soviet U ...

, the standard assault rifle of the

Korean People's Army The Korean People's Army (KPA; ) is the military force of North Korea and the armed wing of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). Under the ''Songun'' policy, it is the central institution of North Korean society. Currently, WPK General Sec ...

. A new infantry rifle, the

Daewoo K11 The S&T Daewoo K11 DAW (Dual-barrel Air-burst Weapon) is a multi-weapon resembling the earlier US Objective Individual Combat Weapon in concept, design and operation. It consists of two separate weapons combined into a single unit: a lower assau ...

, entered service in 2010. The overall concept of this weapon is more advanced to the American

OICW The Objective Individual Combat Weapon or OICW was the next-generation service rifle competition that was under development as part of the United States Army OICW program; the program was eventually discontinued without bringing the weapon out of ...

, however its production has been halted and weapon discontinued in 2020 due to excessive issues involving its targeting component and the quality of ammunition, to focus on fixing the issues which have been quickly resolved. Inspection of military equipment June 2021 found that 26% of components involving the Warrior Platform program for modernization of South Korean infantry is defective.

Organization

Republic of Korea Army Headquarters (대한민국 육군본부)

* Capital Defense Command 'SHIELD' (수도방위사령부 '방패부대') ::* 1st Air Defense Brigade (1방공여단) ::* 1st Security Group (1경비단) ::*122nd Signal Group (122정보통신단) ::*1113rd Engineer Group (제1113공병단) ::*Capital Defense Command Military Police Group (수도방위사령부 군사경찰단) :* 52nd Homeland Defense Infantry Division (52향토보병사단) :* 56th Homeland Defense Infantry Division (56향토보병사단) * Special Warfare Command 'LION' (특수전사령부 '사자부대') ::*1st Special Forces Brigade (Airborne) 'EAGLE' (1공수특전여단 '독수리부대') ::*3rd Special Forces Brigade (Airborne) 'FLYING TIGER' (3공수특전여단 '비호부대') ::*7th Special Forces Brigade (Airborne) 'PEGASUS' (7공수특전여단 '천마부대') ::*9th Special Forces Brigade (Airborne) 'GHOST' (9공수특전여단 '귀성부대') ::*11th Special Forces Brigade (Airborne) 'GOLDEN BAT' (11공수특전여단 '황금박쥐부대') ::*13th Special Forces Brigade (Airborne) 'BLACK PANTHER' (13공수특전여단 '흑표부대') * Army Aviation Operations Command 'PHOENIX' (항공작전사령부 '불사조부대') ::* 1st Aviation Brigade (1항공여단) ::* 2nd Aviation Brigade (2항공여단) ::*Aviation Maintenance Brigade (항공정비여단) * Army Missile Command 'ENDLESSNESS' (미사일사령부 '무극부대') * Army Training & Doctrine Command 'CREATION' (육군교육사령부 '창조대') * Army Personnel Command (육군인사사령부) * Army Logistics Command 'SEVEN STARS' (육군군수사령부 '칠성대') * Army Mobilization Force Command (육군동원전력사령부) :* 60th Reserve Infantry Division (60동원보병사단) :* 66th Reserve Infantry Division (66동원보병사단) :* 72nd Reserve Infantry Division (72동원보병사단) :* 73rd Reserve Infantry Division (73동원보병사단) :* 75th Reserve Infantry Division (75동원보병사단) *

Korea Army Academy at Yeongcheon Korea Army Academy (Yeongcheon) or KAAY is a military academy of the Republic of Korea Army for training officer cadets. Commonly known as "Choongsungdae" ( ko, 충성대, Hanja: 忠誠臺) as a reference to its loyalty and devotion to the countr ...

(육군3사관학교) *

Korea Military Academy Korea Military Academy (KMA) is the leading South Korean institution for the education and training of officer cadets for the Republic of Korea Army. Along with the Korea Army Academy (Yeongcheon), it produces the largest number of senior officer ...

(육군사관학교)

Ground Operations Command (GOC) (지상작전사령부)

:* 36th Homeland Defense Infantry Division 'WHITE TIGER' (36향토보병사단 '백호부대') :*1st Logistic Support Command (1군수지원사령부) :*Fires Brigade (화력여단) * Capital Corps 'DEVOTION' (수도군단 '충의부대') ::*Capital Artillery Brigade (수도포병여단) ::*1175th Engineer Group (1175공병단) :*17th Infantry Division 'LIGHTNING' (17보병사단 '번개부대') :* 51st Homeland Defense Infantry Division 'TOTAL VICTORY' (51향토보병사단 '전승부대') :* 55th Homeland Defense Infantry Division 'BEACON FIRE' (55향토보병사단 '봉화부대') *

I Corps I Corps, 1st Corps, or First Corps may refer to: France * 1st Army Corps (France) * I Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * I Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French A ...

GWANGGAETO Gwanggaeto the Great (374–413, r. 391–413) was the nineteenth monarch of Goguryeo. His full posthumous name means "Entombed in ''Gukgangsang'', Broad Expander of Domain, Peacemaker, Supreme King", sometimes abbreviated to ''Hotaewang'' ...

' (1군단 '광개토부대') ::* 2nd Armored Brigade 'LOYALTY' (2기갑여단 '충성부대') ::* 30th Armored Brigade 'CERTAIN VICTORY' (30기갑여단 '필승부대') ::* 1st Artillery Brigade 'FLYING TIGER' (1포병여단 '비호부대') ::*1st Engineer Brigade (1공병여단) :* 1st Infantry Division 'FORWARD' (1보병사단 '전진부대') :* 9th Infantry Division 'WHITE HORSE' (9보병사단 '백마부대') :* 25th Infantry Division 'WYVERN' (25보병사단 '비룡부대') *

II Corps 2nd Corps, Second Corps, or II Corps may refer to: France * 2nd Army Corps (France) * II Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * II Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French ...

'DOUBLE DRAGONS' (2군단 '쌍용부대') ::* 3rd Armored Brigade 'LIGHTNING' (3기갑여단 '번개부대') ::*2nd Artillery Brigade (2포병여단) ::*2nd Engineer Brigade (2공병여단) :* 7th Infantry Division 'SEVEN STARS' (7보병사단 '칠성부대') :*15th Infantry Division 'VICTORY' (15보병사단 '승리부대') :*27th Infantry Division 'LET'S WIN' (27보병사단 '이기자부대') *

III Corps 3rd Corps, Third Corps, III Corps, or 3rd Army Corps may refer to: France * 3rd Army Corps (France) * III Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * III Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of th ...

'MOUNTAINS' (3군단 '산악부대') ::*20th Armored Brigade (20기갑여단) ::*3rd Artillery Brigade (3포병여단) ::*3rd Engineer Brigade (3공병여단) :*12th Infantry Division ' EULJI' (12보병사단 '을지부대') :*21st Infantry Division ' MT. BAEKDU' (21보병사단 '백두산부대') * V Corps 'VICTORIOUS ADVANCE' (5군단 '승진부대') ::* 1st Armored Brigade 'BLITZ' (1기갑여단 '전격부대') ::* 5th Armored Brigade 'IRON STORM' (5기갑여단 '철풍부대') ::*5th Artillery Brigade 'VICTORIOUS ADVANCE' (5포병여단 '승진포병부대') ::*5th Engineer Brigade (5공병여단) :* 3rd Infantry Division 'WHITE SKULL' (3보병사단 '백골부대') :* 5th Infantry Division 'THE KEY' (5보병사단 '열쇠부대') :*

6th Infantry Division 6th Division may refer to: Infantry divisions * 6th Division (Australia) * 6th Division (Austria) *6th (United Kingdom) Division * Finnish 6th Division (Winter War) *Finnish 6th Division (Continuation War) * 6th Division (Reichswehr) * 6th Divisi ...

'BLUE STAR' (6보병사단 '청성부대') :*28th Infantry Division 'INVINCIBLE TYPHOON' (28보병사단 '무적태풍부대') * VII Maneuver Corps 'VANGUARD' (7기동군단 '북진선봉부대') ::*7th Artillery Brigade (7포병여단) ::*7th Engineer Brigade (7공병여단) :*

Capital Mechanized Infantry Division The Capital Mechanized Infantry Division ( ko, 수도기계화보병사단, hanja: 首都機械化步兵師團), also known as Fierce Tiger Division ( ko, 맹호부대, hanja: 猛虎部隊), is currently one of the six mechanized infantry divisio ...

'Fierce Tiger' (수도기계화보병사단 '맹호부대') :* 2nd Quick Response Division 'Furious Wave' (2신속대응사단 '노도부대') :* 8th Maneuver Division ' Roly Poly Toy' (8기동사단 '오뚜기부대') :* 11th Maneuver Division ' Flowering Knights' (11기동사단 '화랑부대') * VIII Corps 'DRAGON OF THE EAST SEA' (8군단 '동해충용부대') ::*102nd Armored Brigade 'SUNRISE' (102기갑여단 '일출부대') :*22nd Infantry Division '

YULGOK Yi Yi (; December 26, 1536 – February 27, 1584) was a Korean philosopher, writer, and Confucian scholar of the Joseon Dynasty. Yi I is often referred to by his pen name Yulgok ("Chestnut valley"). He was also a politicianhanja 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, wh ...

or Sino-Korean origin of the names. ;Commissioned officer ranks ;Warrant officer ranks ;Other ranks

References

External links

Republic of Korea Army

Republic of Korea Army
{{Authority control Military of South Korea