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Republic of Korea Army
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The Republic of Korea Army (ROK Army, ROKA, Korean: ???? ??, Hanja: ???? ??) is by far the largest of the military branches of the South Korean armed forces with over 560,000 members as of 2004. This size is maintained through conscription, South Korean men must complete 24 months of military service between graduation of high school and the age of 30. This comes as a response to both the mountainous terrain native to the Korean Peninsula (70% mountainous) as well as the heavy North Korean military presence, with its 1 million strong army, two-thirds of which is permanently garrisoned in the frontline near the DMZ.
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.
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Encyclopedia
The Republic of Korea Army (ROK Army, ROKA, Korean: ???? ??, Hanja: ???? ??) is by far the largest of the military branches of the South Korean armed forces with over 560,000 members as of 2004. This size is maintained through conscription, South Korean men must complete 24 months of military service between graduation of high school and the age of 30. This comes as a response to both the mountainous terrain native to the Korean Peninsula (70% mountainous) as well as the heavy North Korean military presence, with its 1 million strong army, two-thirds of which is permanently garrisoned in the frontline near the DMZ.
Overview
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 Second ROK Army has been converted as the Second Operations Command in 2006, the First and Third ROK Armies will be merged as the First Operations Command in 2010.
History
The 1st of every October is celebrated in South Korea as the Armed Forces Day. It commemorates the same date during the Korean War when units of the ROK Army first crossed the 38th Parallel, thus leading the UN Coalition north into communist territory for the first time.
Command and structure
Senior leadership
(As April 2008)
- Chief of Staff of the Republic of Korea Army: General Lim Choung-Bin
- Commanding General, First Republic of Korea Army: General Kim Geun-Tae
- Commanding General, Republic of Korea Army Second Operations Command: General Jo Jae-Toe
- Commanding General, Third Republic of Korea Army: General Lee Sang-Ui
Republic of Korea Army Headquarters (???? ????)
- Missile Command 'ENDLESSNESS' (?????? '????')
- Capital Defense Command 'SHIELD' (??????? '????')
- 1st Chemical Defense Brigade (1???????)
- 122nd Signal Brigade (122????)
- 10th Air Defense Artillery Group (10???)
- 1113rd Engineer Group (1113???)
- 52nd Homeland Defense Infantry Division (52??????)
- 56th Homeland Defense Infantry Division (56??????)
- 57th Homeland Defense Infantry Division (57??????)
- 60th Reserve Infantry Division (60??????)
- 71st Reserve Infantry Division (71??????)
- Special Warfare Command 'LION' (?????? '????')
- 707th Special Mission Battalion 'WHITE TIGER' (707?????? '????')
- Special Warfare Training Group
- 1st Special Forces Brigade (Airborne) 'EAGLE' (1?????? '?????')
- 3rd Special Forces Brigade (Airborne) 'FLYING TIGER' (3?????? '????')
- 5th Special Forces Brigade (Airborne) 'BLACK DRAGON' (5?????? '????')
- 7th Special Forces Brigade (Airborne) 'PEGASUS' (7?????? '????')
- 9th Special Forces Brigade (Airborne) 'GHOST' (9?????? '????')
- 11th Special Forces Brigade (Airborne) 'GOLDEN BAT' (11?????? '??????')
- 13th Special Forces Brigade (Airborne) 'BLACK PANTHER' (13?????? '????)
- Aviation Operations Command 'PHOENIX' (??????? '?????')
- 1st Aviation Brigade (1????)
- 2nd Aviation Brigade (2????)
- Army Logistics Command (???????)
- Total Maintenance Depot
- Maintenance Depot
- Ammunition Depot
- Army Training & Doctrine Command (???????)
- Students' Central Military School (????????)
- Army College
- Technical Schools
- Army Combat Development Group (???????)
- Korea Military Academy
- Korea Military Academy at Yeong-cheon (??3????)
First Republic of Korea Army (FROKA) (1???)
- 3rd Armored Brigade 'LIGHTNING' (3???? '????')
- 11th Field Artillery Group (11?????)
- 12th Aviation Group (12???)
- 1107th Engineer Group (1107???)
- 1170th Engineer Group (1170???)
- 11th Infantry Division (Mechanized) 'Hwa-rang' (11??????? '????')
- 1st Logistical Support Command (1???????)
- II Corps 'DOUBLE DRAGONS' (2?? '????')
- 2nd Artillery Brigade (2????)
- 2nd Engineer Brigade (2????)
- 102nd Signal Brigade (102????)
- 702nd Special Assault Regiment (702????)
- 302nd Security Regiment (302????)
- 7th Infantry Division 'THE GREAT BEAR' (7???? '????')
- 15th Infantry Division 'VICTORY' (15???? '????')
- 27th Infantry Division 'LET'S WIN' (27???? '?????')
- III Corps 'MOUNTAINS' (3?? '????')
- 3rd Artillery Brigade (3????)
- 3rd Engineer Brigade (3????)
- 103rd Signal Brigade (103????)
- 703rd Special Assault Regiment (703????)
- 303rd Security Regiment (303????)
- 2nd Infantry Division 'WAVE OF ANGARS' (2???? '????')
- 12th Infantry Division 'EULJI' (12???? '????')
- 21st Infantry Division 'MT. BAIKDOO' (21???? '?????')
- VIII Corps 'LOYAL DRAGON OF THE EAST SEA' (8?? '??????')
- 8th Artillery Brigade (8????)
- 102nd Infantry Brigade(Mechanized) 'SUNRISE' (102??????? '????')
- 22nd Infantry Division 'YULGOG' (22???? '????')
- 23rd Infantry Division 'IRON WALL' (23???? '????')
Army Second Operations Command (?? 2?????)
(This is the former Second Republic of Korea Army (SROKA))
- 21st Aviation Group (21???)
- 201st Special Assault Brigade (201????)
- 203rd Special Assault Brigade (203????)
- 1117th Engineer Group (1117???)
- 1120th Engineer Group (1120???)
- 5th Logistical Support Command (5???????)
- 31st Homeland Defense Infantry Division (31??????)
- 32nd Homeland Defense Infantry Division (32??????)
- 35th Homeland Defense Infantry Division (35??????)
- 37th Homeland Defense Infantry Division (37??????)
- 39th Homeland Defense Infantry Division (39??????)
- 50th Homeland Defense Infantry Division (50??????)
- 53rd Homeland Defense Infantry Division (53??????)
Third Republic of Korea Army (TROKA) (3???)
- 1st Air Defense Artillery Brigade (1??????)
- 1101st Engineer Group (1101???)
- 1173rd Engineer Group (1173???)
- 1175th Engineer Group (1175???)
- 2nd Logistical Support Command (2???????)
- 3rd Logistical Support Command (3???????)
- Capital Corps 'DEVOTION' (???? '????')
- Capital Artillery Brigade
- 100th Signal Brigade (100????)
- 700th Special Assault Regiment (700????)
- 17th Infantry Division 'LIGHTNING' (17???? '????')
- I Corps 'KWANGGAETO' (1?? '?????')
- 2nd Armored Brigade 'LOYALTY' (2???? '????')
- 1st Engineer Brigade (1????)
- 101st Signal Brigade (101????)
- 11th Aviation Group (11???)
- 701st Special Assault Regiment (701????)
- 301st Security Regiment (301????)
- 1st Artillery Brigade (1????)
- 2nd Field Artillery Group (2?????)
- 3rd Field Artillery Group (3?????)
- 7th Field Artillery Group (7?????)
- 1st Infantry Division 'FORWARD' (1???? '????')
- 9th Infantry Division 'WHITE HORSE' (9???? '????')
- 25th Infantry Division 'FLYING DRAGON' (25???? '????')
- 30th Infantry Division (Mechanized) 'CERTAIN VICTORY' (30??????? '????')
- 72nd Reserve Infantry Division 'OLYMPIC' (72??????'?????')
- V Corps 'VICTORIOUS' (5?? '????')
- 1st Armored Brigade 'LIGHTNING ATTACK' (1???? '????')
- 5th Engineer Brigade (5????)
- 105th Signal Brigade (105????)
- 15th Aviation Group (15???)
- 705th Special Assault Regiment (705????)
- 305th Security Regiment (305????)
- 5th Artillery Brigade (5???? '??????')
- 1st Field Artillery Group (1?????)
- 5th Field Artillery Group (5?????)
- 8th Mobilization Artillery Group (8?????)
- 2nd Infantry Regiment (2????(GOP))
- 7th Infantry Regiment (7????(GOP))
- 19th Infantry Regiment (19????)
- VI Corps 'ADVANCE' (6?? '????')
- 5th Armored Brigade 'IRON STORM' (5???? '????')
- 6th Engineer Brigade (6????)
- 106th Signal Brigade (106????)
- 16th Aviation Group (16???)
- 706th Special Assault Regiment (706????)
- 306th Security Regiment (306????)
- 6th Artillery Brigade (6????)
- 6th Field Artillery Group (6?????)
- 9th Field Artillery Group (9?????)
- 5th Infantry Division 'KEY' (5???? '????')
- 26th Infantry Division (Mechanized) 'GROUP OF FIRES' (26??????? '?????')
- 28th Infantry Division 'INVINCIBLE TYPHOON' (28???? '??????')
- VII Corps 'VANGUARD OF NORTHERN ADVANCE' (7?? '??????')
- 7th Artillery Brigade (7????)
- 7th Engineer Brigade (7????)
- 107th Signal Brigade (107????)
- 17th Aviation Group (17???)
- 7th Assault Unit (7???)
Equipment of the Republic of Korea Army
The army consists of 560,000 troops, 3000 Tanks, 3000 Armored Vehicles, 7000 battlefield Artillery Systems(Includes Tracked, Wheeled and Towed Systems) and 13,000 Infantry Support Systems.
Equipment of the ROK Army include the older M48A5Ks and T-80Us, as well as the more recent K1 and K1A1 which bear a 120 mm smoothbore gun and are of local manufacture. And ROK Army is using approximately 2500 tanks including 1,524 K1A1 and K1.
The future replacement for the K1 and K1A1 MBTs has been named the K2 Black Panther(??;?? Heukpyo), which will be fitted with a 1500 hp MTU-based engine, 55-caliber 120 mm main gun with autoloader. The new tank will also feature RADAR equipment as well as all-bearing LASER detection and defense systems, anti-missile grenade launcher, and heavy reactive armor and sensor package comparable to the American M1A2 Abrams and French Leclerc. The ROK Army is planning to field approximately 390 units Black Panthers.
In addition South Korea already manufactures the indigenous K-9 howitzer, which have been exported to Turkey, as well as the K200 series KIFV's which saw action in UN peacekeeping operations (PKO) 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 Turret or MK-30 Chaingun Turret.
A replacement for K200 series IFVs are currently being tested, designated as K21 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 1,000 units until 2015.
The K21 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"(??/??; 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 has several powerful Russian-built AFVs, including BMP-3 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 MANPADS.
A new infantry rifle, named KNR or Korean New Rifle, has recently been unveiled. The overall concept of this weapon is similar to the American OICW and Germany G36 or XM8. It is slated for distribution around 2010.
Military ranks
Officer ranks can be learned fairly easily if one sees the pattern. "So" equals small; "Jung" equals medium; "Dae" equals large. "Jun" equals very small (used for 1 star general).
Each of these is coupled with "wi" equals company grade, "ryung" equals field grade, and "jang" equals general. This system is due to the hanja or Sino-Korean origin of the names.
LINK : http://i.kdaq.empas.com/imgs/qrsi.tsp/8061636/10565009/0/1/A/photo.jpg
Commissioned officers
Warrant officers
Non-Commissioned officers
Enlisted
¹: No one held the rank of Won-su in the history of the ROK Armed Forces yet.
²: The Jun-wi (Warrant Officer)'s insignia is in gold color while the ones of Second Lieutenant and higher are in silver color.
See also
External links
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