The 'Republic of Korea Armed Forces' (
Hangul: 대한민국 국군;
Hanja: 大韓民國 國軍;
Revised Romanization: ''Dae-han-min-guk Guk-gun'') or 'ROK Armed Forces', is the
armed forces of
South Korea. Along with the
Republic of Korea Reserve Forces (대한민국 향토예비군; 大韓民國 鄕土豫備軍), it consists of the following branches:
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Republic of Korea Army (대한민국 육군; 大韓民國 陸軍)
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Republic of Korea Navy (대한민국 해군; 大韓民國 海軍)
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★
Republic of Korea Marine Corps (대한민국 해병대; 大韓民國 海兵隊)
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Republic of Korea Air Force (대한민국 공군; 大韓民國 空軍)
Created in 1948, following the
division of the
Korean Peninsula by occupying
Soviet and
U.S. forces, the Republic of Korea Armed Forces is one of the largest standing
armed forces in the world with a reported personnel strength of 5,209,000 in 2006 (687,000 active force, 4,500,000 regular reserve, and 22,000 paramilitary force).
The ROK military forces are responsible for maintaining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the republic, but often engage in
humanitarian and
disaster-relief efforts nation wide. More recently the ROK military has began increasing its participation in international affairs, acknowledging its role and responsibility as the tenth economic power in the world in terms of GDP. The ROK military has participated in various peacekeeping operations across
Africa,
East Timor, and more recently
Iraq and
Afghanistan.
History
The South Korean armed forces was a largely rudimentary force until the outbreak of the
Korean War. It was heavily damaged by
North Korean and
Chinese attacks and in the beginning relied almost entirely on American support for weapons, ammunition and technology. During South Korea's period of rapid growth, the military expanded accordingly, benefiting from several government-sponsored technology transfer projects and indigenous defense capability initiatives.
Modernization efforts for the ROK military have been in place since the 1980s. The GlobalSecurity.org website states that "in 1990 South Korean industries provided about 70 percent of the weapons, ammunition, communications and other types of equipment, vehicles, clothing, and other supplies needed by the military." Today, the South Korean armed forces enjoys of a good mix of avant-garde as well as older
conventional weapons.
The Republic of Korea has one of the highest defense budgets in the world (though second lowest in
East Asia), regularly making the list of top ten (see
List of countries by military expenditures). Its capabilities include many sophisticated American and European weapon systems, complemented by a growing and increasingly more advanced indigenous defense manufacturing sector. For example, by taking advantage of the strong local shipbuilding industry, the ROK Navy has embarked on a rigorous modernization plan with ambitions to become a
blue-water navy by 2020.
South Korea has a joint military partnership with the United States as outlined by the
Mutual Defense Treaty signed after the Korean War. During the outbreak of the
Vietnam War, South Korean marines were among those fighting alongside the United States and gained the respect of both the locals and their enemies, earning their nickname as "
Demon-hunters" by the
Viet Cong.
More recently, South Korea also takes part in regional as well as pan-Pacific national military wargames and exercises such as
RIMPAC and
RSOI.
Structure
Army
Main articles: Republic of Korea Army
K1 main battle tank.
The ROK Army (ROKA) is by far the largest of the military branches, with over 560,000 effectives as of 2004. This comes as a response to both the mountainous terrain native to the
Korean Peninsula (70% mountainous) as well as the heavy North Korean presence, with its 1 million strong army, two-thirds of which is permanently garrisoned in the frontline near the
DMZ.
It should be noted that the current administration has initiated a program of self-defense, whereby South Korea would be able to fully counter the North Korean threat with purely domestic means within the next two decades.
The ROK Army was formerly organized into 3 armies: the First Army (FROKA), Second Army (SROKA), and Third Army (TROKA), each with its own head quarters, corps, and divisions. The Third Army was responsible for the defense of the capital as well as the western section of the DMZ. The First Army was responsible for the defense of the eastern section of the DMZ whereas the SROKA formed the rearguard.
Under a restructuring plan aimed at reducing redundancy, the First and Third Armies have been incorporated into the newly formed Ground Operations Command (GOC), whereas the Second ROK Army has been converted into the Rear Operations Command (ROC).
The army consists of the Army Headquarters, the Aviation Command, and the Special Warfare Command, with 11 corps, 49 divisions, and 19 brigades, some 560,000 troops and estimated
5,350 Tanks/Armored Vehicles, 11,337 Artillery Systems, 7,032 Missile Defense Systems and 13,000 infantry support systems
Equipment of the ROK Army include the older
M48 as well as the more recent
K1 and
K1A1, which bear a 120 mm smoothbore gun and are of local manufacture.
The future replacement for the
K1 MBT has been baptized the
XK2 Black Panther (Korean: 흑표), which will be fitted with a 1,500hp Water-cooled Diesel engine, 120 mm / L55 main gun, and coaxial machine guns. The new tank will also feature radar equipment as well as all-bearing
LASER detection system and
reactive armor comparable to the American
M1A2 and French
LeClerc.
In addition South Korea already manufactures the indigenous
K-9 Thunder howitzers, which have been exported to Turkey, as well as the
K200 series KIFV's which saw action in UN peacekeeping operations as part of the Malaysian peacekeeping forces. A variation of the K200, the
KAFV's can be retrofitted to bear a 90 mm barrel or 40 mm grenade turret or M230-1 Chain gun or MK-30 30mm chain gun Turret.
The ROK Army also fields the mobile K-SAM Pegasus (
Korean:천마), fitted with 8 missiles that fly at maximum speeds of mach 2.6, and the
K-30 Biho (
Korean:비호) series, which feature a 30 mm twin gun system for self-propelled anti-aerial fire support.
Besides having vehicles of their own design as well as American models, the ROK Army also has several Russian-built AFVs, including
BMP-3 IFVs and
T-80U MBTs. Although they are in active service with the Army, most of them were purchased in order to experiment their technology to be fitted with the ROK's XK2 MBT, such as the
Explosive Reactive Armor blocks mounted on several Russian armored vehicles. However, the ROK Army is continuing their purchase of Russian equipments, as their recent addition of two BMP-3U IFVs hints. Other notable foreign equipment in service with the ROK Army includes the TOW ATGM launchers and Mistral MANPADS.
Navy
Main articles: Republic of Korea Navy
The ROK Navy (ROKN) is the armed forces branch responsible for conducting naval operations and amphibious landing operations.
[1] As a part of its mission, the ROK Navy has engaged in several
peacekeeping operations since the turn of the century.
[2]
The ROK Navy includes the Republic of Korea Navy Headquarters, Republic of Korea Fleet, and
Republic of Korea Marine Corps, which is a quasi-autonomous organization. The Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) is the highest-ranking officer (four-star admiral) of the ROK Navy.
The ROK Navy had about 68,000 regular personnel including the 25,000 Republic of Korea Marine Corps personnel as of 2006. There are some 170 commissioned ships (total displacement of approx. 141,000 tons
[3]
) in the ROK Navy, including approximately 10 submarines, 75 patrol craft and 20 auxiliaries. The naval aviation forces consist of about 10 fixed-wing and 50 rotary-wing aircraft.
[4]
In 1995, Admiral
An Pyongtae, the 20th Chief of Naval Operations, presented the vision of building a "
blue ocean navy" for the future of the ROK Navy in his inaugural address.
[5] In 2001, then President
Kim Dae-jung announced a plan for building up a Strategic Mobile Fleet.
[6] As a part of "Defense Reform 2020," which was proposed by the
Roh Moo-hyun Administration, the ROK Navy is required to reform the organizations under
Commander-in-Chief Republic of Korea Fleet (CINCROKFLT) by establishing a submarine operations command (fleet submarine force), a naval aviation operations command (fleet air arm), and a Mobile Flotilla.
[4] The ROK Navy aims to become a
blue-water navy by 2020.
[8]
In the first decade of the 21st century, the ROK Navy launched the lead ships of newly developed types: in 2002, ROKS ''Chungmugong Yi Sunshin'' (DDH 975), a 4,500-ton destroyer, was launched; in 2005, a new amphibious landing ship, ROKS ''Dokdo'' (LPH 6111) was launched; in 2006, the ROK Navy launched the ''Sohn Won-yil'' (SS 072), an 1,800-ton
Type 214 submarine with Air-Independent propulsion (AIP) system. In 2007, the ROK Navy launched the lead ship (DDG 991) of the
''Sejong the Great'' class destroyer, built around the
Aegis combat system and the
SPY-1D multi-function phased array radar. The ROK Navy is undertaking several shipbuilding projects:
Korean Destroyer Experimental (KDX) program, Frigate Experimental (FFX),
Landing Platform Experimental (LPX),
Patrol Killer Experimental (PKX), and
Korean Submarine (KSS) program.
Air Force
Main articles: Republic of Korea Air Force
A South Korean F-15K Eagle comes in for fuel from an American KC-135 Stratotanker.
The ROK Air Force (ROKAF) is a modern air force, which fields some 600+
combat aircraft of American design. In contrast, the
North Korean Army has roughly 150-300 more aircraft, but mostly obsolete and some ancient types of
Soviet and
Chinese origin.
Korea began a program for the development of indigenous jet trainers beginning in 1997. This project eventually culminated in the
KAI T-50, dubbed the "Golden Eagle" which is used as a trainer for jet pilots, now being exported to Indonesia. An armed version of the T-50 is the modified A-50, which can be fitted with free-fall or precision missiles such as the
AGM-65 Maverick.
The replacement programs for the
T-50 and A-50 are the
KTX-2 and
F-X, respectively. The latter has been fulfilled by the Boeing
F-15K.
[9]
The South Korean government also announced its plan to develop indigenous helicopter manufacturing capacities to replace the aging
UH-1 helicopters, many of which had seen service during the
Vietnam War. The program originally included plans for the development of both a civilian and a military helicopter. This was later revised and gave priority to the utility helicopter program. Based on the success and experience of the civilian KMH (Korean Multi-purpose Helicopter) the attack helicopter, which would share a common configuration, will be developed.
Marine Corps
Main articles: Republic of Korea Marine Corps
Although the National Armed Forces Organisation Act stipulates that the ROK Navy includes the
Republic of Korea Marine Corps, the ROKMC is a semi-autonomous organization that carries out much of its functions independently.
[10] South Korean Marines are well-known for their bravery and extensive knowledge of martial arts and have been honorably mentioned in several foreign articles over time. During the
Vietnam War the ROKMC earned themselves both the fear and respect of the
Viet Cong, up to the point that the communists began to shun combat with the South Korean Marines. It was also during the Vietnam War that they gained the nickname "Ghost-Catching Marines" or "Demon-hunters" (
Korean: '"귀신 잡는 해병대"'). Korean Marines wear distinctive red name tags - a symbol of pride and honor.
The motto of the ROK Marine Corps is ''"Once a Marine, forever a Marine."''
Personnel
Military service is mentioned as one of the Four Constitutional Duties (along with taxes, education, and labor). The current effective Conscription Law, however, applies only to males although women can volunteer as officers. Military service varies according to branch: 22 months for the
Army and
Marine Corps, 24 months for the
Navy and 26 months for the
Air Force. Recently, however, there has been significant pressure from the public demanding either a shortening of the term or a switch to voluntary military service.
In the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, ranks fall into one of four categories: commissioned officer, warrant officer, non-commissioned officer, and enlisted, in decreasing order of authority. Commissioned officer ranks are further subdivided into "''Janggwan''"-level officers, "''Yeonggawan''"-level officers, and "''Wigwan''"-level officers. The "''Wonsu''" is appointed from the "''Daejang''" who has distinguished achievements. However, there has been no one holding the rank of "Wonsu" in the history of the ROK Armed Forces. All branches share a common rank-system, with different colors used to denote the different branches (Army: Green & Black, Navy: White & Black, Marine Corps: Red & Yellow, Air Force: Green & Blue).
(Note: The English titles are given as comparative examples with the US Army ranks.)
Overseas operations
About 2,500 soldiers operate in eight locations around the world as of 2007.
[11]
UN peacekeeping operations
Until now South Korea has successfully participated in UN-sanctioned peacekeeping operations in
East Timor,
Somalia,
Angola, and
Western Sahara, as well as serving as Military Observers in the
India-Pakistan border and in
Georgia.
In September 2006, President
Roh Moo-hyun announced that the government of
Lebanon had officially asked the Republic of Korea to form part of the UN Peacekeeping Forces about to be deployed in Lebanon following the
2006 Israeli-Lebanese Conflict. Final deployment will be pending on a vote by the
Kukhoe (National Assembly).
Peace-keeping operations in Iraq
On August,
2004, the
South Korean government dispatched 3,400 soldiers to
Iraq following American requests for reinforcements and further fueled by the beheading of South Korean citizen
Kim Sun-il by Islamic extremists in Iraq. This force became third in size (surpassed only by the US and UK), after the withdrawal of
Spanish forces. South Korea is currently responsible for peace-keeping and reconstruction in the
Arbil Governorate, located in the
Kurdish Autonomous Region. The peace-keeping troops were named
Zaytun Division and
Daiman Unit. Zaytun and Daiman respectively mean
olive (a symbol of peace) and 'always with you' in
Arabic.
Reconstruction in Afghanistan
At the request of the
United States, about 60 medics from the
Dongui Medical Unit (Korean: 동의부대, Hanja: 東醫部隊) and 150 engineers from the
Dasan Engineering Unit (Korean: 다산부대, Hanja: 茶山部隊) have been stationed in
Afghanistan since 2002 to help with the reconstruction effort.
[12] Among the soldiers stationed in Afghanistan was
Yoon Jang-ho, who was the first South Korean soldier killed in action overseas since the
Vietnam War.
Notes
1. "Duty of the ROK Navy". Republic of Korea Navy Official Website. Retrieved March 10, 2007.
2. "해군작전사령부 창설 54주년..어제와 오늘 그리고 미래". Ministry of National Defense Official Website. Retrieved March 4, 2007.
3. "Defense of Japan 2007". Ministry of Defense Official Website. Retrieved August 9, 2007.
4. "2006 국방백서". Ministry of National Defense Official Website. Retrieved March 11, 2007.
5. "21세기 통일한국의 大洋해군 전략". Donga.com. Retrieved March 8, 2007.
6. "김대통령, 해군사관학교 졸업 및 임관식 참석말씀". Kim Dae-jung Presidential Library Official Website. Retrieved March 12, 2007.
7. "2006 국방백서". Ministry of National Defense Official Website. Retrieved March 11, 2007.
8. "대양해군건설". Republic of Korea Navy Official Website. Retrieved March 4, 2007.
9.
10. "해병대 조직". Republic of Korea Marine Corps Official Website. Retrieved March 26, 2007.
11. Snapshot on S. Korean troops operating overseas
12. Korea vows to stay the course in Afghanistan Dae-woong Jin
See also
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List of Korea-related topics
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South Korea
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Military of North Korea
★
KATUSA (Korean Augmentation to US Army)
★
United States Forces Korea (USFK)
★
List of military equipment of Republic of Korea
External links
★
Republic of Korea Military Guide (globalsecurity.org)
★ Republic of Korea Ministry of National Defense (ROKMND) (
Korean /
English)
★ Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF) xairforces.com website (
English)
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