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Stem Cells - News - South Korean Professor Said Gathering Stem Cell... stemcellnews.com | Chinese women trust South Korean surgeons | Surgeon-Directory.com surgeon-directory.com |
The Republic of Korea Army (ROK Army, ROKA, Korean: 대한민국 육군, Hanja: 大韓民國 陸軍) is by far the largest of the military branches of the South Korean armed forces with 522,000 members as of 2008. 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 35. 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.
[edit] OverviewThe 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. [edit] HistoryThe 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. [edit] Command and structure[edit] Senior leadership(As April 2008)
[edit] Republic of Korea Army Headquarters (대한민국 육군본부)
[edit] First Republic of Korea Army (FROKA) (1야전군)
[edit] Army Second Operations Command (육군 2작전사령부)(This is the former Second Republic of Korea Army (SROKA))
[edit] Third Republic of Korea Army (TROKA) (3야전군)
[edit] Equipment of the Republic of Korea ArmyMain article: List of equipment of the Republic of Korea Army The army consists of 522,000 troops, 2,300 tanks, 2,400 armored vehicles, 5,400 artilleries and MRLs, 30 guided missile systems, and 600 helicoptors as of 2008. The tanks include 880 M48 Patton series and its upgrades such as M48A3K, M48A5, and M48A5K, 33 Soviet T-80U and 2 T-80UK, as well as the more recent K1 and K1A1 which bear a 120 mm smoothbore gun and are of local manufacture. The 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(흑표;黑豹 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 German Leopard 2A6. 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"(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 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. [edit] Military ranksOfficer 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). LINK : http://i.kdaq.empas.com/imgs/qrsi.tsp/8061636/10565009/0/1/A/photo.jpg [edit] Commissioned officers
[edit] Warrant officers
[edit] Non-Commissioned officers
[edit] Enlisted
¹: No one held the rank of Won-su in the history of the ROK Armed Forces yet. [edit] See also[edit] References[edit] External links
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