Republic of Korea Armed Forces
Also known as South Korean Armed Forces, mil South Korea, South Korean military, Kukkun, ROK Armed Forces
combined military forces of South Korea
Key facts
- Founded
- 15 August 1948 ; 77 years ago ( 1948-08-15 )
- Service branches
- Republic of Korea Army Republic of Korea Navy Republic of Korea Marine Corps Republic of Korea Air Force
- Headquarters
- Ministry of National Defense , Yongsan District , Seoul
- Commander in chief
- President Lee Jae Myung
- Minister of national defense
- Ahn Gyu-back
- Chairman of the joint chiefs of staff
- General Jin Young Seung , ROKAF
- Conscription
- 18–28 years of age :, 18 months (Army & Marines), 20 months (Navy), 21 months (Air Force)
- Active personnel
- 450,000 (2025)
- Reserve personnel
- 3,100,000 (2022) ( ranked 2nd )
- Deployed personnel
- 1,005 (2022)
- Budget
- ₩ 61.24 trillion , US$ 46.3 billion (2025) ( ranked 11th )
~24 min read
Article
The Republic of Korea Armed Forces (Korean: 대한민국 국군; Hanja: 大韓民國國軍; RR: Daehanminguk Gukgun; lit. 'Republic of Korea National Military'), 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 3,600,000 in 2022 (450,000 active and 3,100,000 reserve).
The Republic of Korea Armed Forces traces its roots back to the establishment of the Korean Republic in 1919 wherein its armed wing was called the Korean Liberation Army and it conducted warfare against the Japanese occupation by conducting large-scale offensives, assassinations, bombings, sabotage, and search and rescue missions. Formally founded in 1948, following the establishment of the South Korean government after the liberation of Korea in 1945, South Korea's military forces are responsible for maintaining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the state and also engage in peacekeeping operations, humanitarian and disaster relief efforts worldwide.