South Korean Armed Forces

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flag Armed Forces of the
Republic of Korea
Flag of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces.svg
guide
Commander in Chief : President Moon Jae-in
Defense Minister: Jeong Kyeong-doo
Military Commander: Chairman of the General Staff
Military leadership: Ministry of Defense
Headquarters: Seoul , South KoreaKorea SouthSouth Korea 
Military strength
Active soldiers: 625,000
Reservists: 3,100,000
Conscription: Yes: 20 to 24 months (depending on the department)
Eligibility for military service: Voluntary: from 18 years, compulsory: 20–38 years, general military service: 18–40 years
household
Military budget: 37.6 billion euros
Share of gross domestic product : 2.40%
history
Founding: August 1948
Armed Forces of the Republic of Korea
Korean alphabet : 대한민국 국군
Hanja : 大韓民國 國 軍
Revised Romanization : daehanminguk gukgun
McCune-Reischauer : taehanminguk kukgun

The South Korean Armed Forces or Armed Forces of the Republic of Korea ( Hangeul : 대한민국 국군, Hanja : 大韓民國 國 軍 , English : Republic of Korea Armed Forces , abbreviated ROK Armed Forces ) are the armed forces of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) . They comprise around 3,600,000 men (630,000 active and 2,900,000 in reserve in 2014), making them one of the largest armed forces in the world.

assignments

The main mandate is to protect the territorial integrity of South Korea, uphold its alliance obligations with the United States , and to cooperate fully with the United States Forces Korea (USFK) and the joint forces of the United Nations . In addition, there is the guarantee of constant combat readiness through training, equipping and supplying the military units and monitoring the borders.

organization

The South Korean armed forces have a manpower of around 683,000 men. However, as part of Defense Reform 2020 , the number of troops in service is to be reduced to 517,000. The defense budget in 2006 was $ 25.5 billion, which corresponds to 2.7% of GDP .

Ex officio State President Moon Jae-in is the Supreme Commander of the South Korean Armed Forces . The armed forces are under the Ministry of Defense, the current chairman of the General Staff is General Jeong Seung-jo .

Armed forces

The South Korean armed forces consist of four branches and two paramilitary organizations whose main task is to support the armed forces in the event of war.

army

The South Korean army , the Republic of Korea Army , is the strategic core of the South Korean military because of the mountainous topography of the Korean peninsula with a mountain share of 70% and because of the threat posed by the North Korean armed forces with their strong presence along the demilitarized zone . Accordingly, it is the largest branch of the armed forces with over 560,000 soldiers (as of 2004). These are organized in three armies , two of which secure the border and the third forms a strategic reserve.

Air Force

The country's air force ( Hangeul : 대한민국 공군, Hanja : 大韓民國 空軍, Republic of Korea Air Force , ROKAF ) has over 600 modern aircraft. The North Korean Air Force has between 150 and 300 more aircraft, but these are mainly from older Soviet or Chinese production. Most South Korean aircraft are American-made, but South Korea began developing a training aircraft in 1997 and is also planning programs to develop and build several modern combat aircraft.

marine

The destroyer Yi SunShin (DDH 975)
The Chang Bogo ( submarine class 209 ), 2005

The South Korean Navy ( Hangeul : 대한민국 해군; hanja : 大韓民國 海軍 / English Republic of Korea Navy , ROKN ) has the main task of defending the national waters of South Korea and the Korean Peninsula. The Navy's peacetime to UN - peacekeeping missions involved. It is divided into two fleets , in which several independent flotillas and a Naval Special Warfare Brigade operate, in which the South Korean SEAL teams and the mine divers are combined. A reform is currently underway, at the end of which the South Korean navy is to be transformed into an ocean- going navy by 2020 . To this reform, the purchase of three belongs helicopter carriers of Dokdo class for each of the three fleets as well as two aircraft carriers . The first new Incheon-class frigate (project designation FFX) was launched in 2011. The class will one day replace three ship classes and could contain up to 20 to 24 units.

Marine infantry

The South Korean marine infantry ( Hangeul : 대한민국 해병대 , Hanja : 大韓民國 海 兵 隊 / English: Republic of Korea Marine Corps , ROK Marine Corps ) is not subordinate to the Navy like most other marine infantry, but an independent military force. It is the second largest such armed force in the world after the United States Marine Corps (after which it is organized) and consists of two divisions and one brigade . The main task of the Marine Corps is the defense of the numerous islands off the South Korean coast.

Other forces

South Korea has two paramilitary organizations under the orders of the Ministry of Defense and intended to support the rest of the armed forces in the event of war. These are, on the one hand, the Republic of Korea Homeland Reserve Forces , in which the reservists of the active armed forces are organized, and, on the other hand, the Republic of Korea Civil Defense Corps , which is a kind of civil defense organization .

Service and career

Conscription

In the constitution of South Korea, military service is mentioned as one of four duties of the citizen (besides education , work and paying taxes ). From the age of 18, every South Korean citizen can volunteer, while the statutory drafting age is between 20 and 30 years.

The duration of the service depends on the armed forces in which it is performed. Conscripts serve 24 months in the army and marine infantry, 26 months in the navy and 28 months in the air force. As of July 2014, the period of service will only be 18 months.

A special feature is the KATUSA program, which allows English-speaking South Korean conscripts to do their military service alternatively in the US Army 8th Army , which is stationed in South Korea.

On December 7, 2017, South Korea's President, Jae-in Moon, met with representatives of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and asked for recommendations on how the implementation of human rights could be improved in order to align with international standards. President Moon asked the NHRC for specific solutions that would help the government end the practice of imprisoning men for conscientious objection to military service.

Women in the armed forces

In practice, military service only applies to men, but women have been allowed to do voluntary service since 1950.

Conflict with North Korea

The armed forces of South Korea repeatedly have smaller clashes with the North Korean armed forces. The last time a ship of the South Korean Navy was sunk in the border area with North Korea was in March 2010. While South Korea suspects the north of having fired a torpedo at the Cheonan , the latter denies any guilt for the sinking in which 46 soldiers were killed. On November 23, 2010 there was an artillery duel between the armed forces of both countries. South Korea then put its armed forces on the highest level of alert since the Korean War.

References

See also

Web links

Commons : Armed Forces of the Republic of Korea  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b JoongAng daily: Military service term will be cut. , February 26, 2010, accessed November 24, 2012
  2. ^ A b CIA World Factbook : Korea, South Retrieved November 24, 2012.
  3. ↑ AFP: North Korea is said to have torpedoed a South Korean warship - South Korean President announces "countermeasures". Paderborner Blatt, 2010, archived from the original on May 13, 2010 ; Retrieved May 21, 2010 .
  4. ↑ Artillery duel and alerting the armed forces. Retrieved November 23, 2010 .