Republic of Korea Armed Forces

The Republic of Korea Armed Forces (hangul: 대한민국 국군; hanja: 大韓民國國軍; Revised Romanization: Daehanminguk Gukgun) or ROK Armed Forces, is the armed forces of the Republic of Korea. It consists of the following branches:

• Republic of Korea Army (대한민국 육군; 大韓民國陸軍: Daehanminguk Yukgun)
• Republic of Korea Navy (대한민국 해군; 大韓民國海軍;Daehanminguk Haegun)
  • Republic of Korea Marine Corps (대한민국 해병대; 大韓民國海兵隊;Daehanminguk Haebyeongdae)
• Republic of Korea Air Force (대한민국 공군; 大韓民國空軍; Daehanminguk Gonggun)

And:

• Republic of Korea Reserve Forces (대한민국 예비군; 大韓民國豫備軍; Daehanminguk Yebigun)

Created in 1948, following the division of the Korean Peninsula, the Republic of Korea Armed Forces is one of the largest standing armed forces in the world with a reported personnel strength of 3,850,000 in 2011 (650,000 active force and 3,200,000 regular reserve). The ROK military forces are undergoing rapid modernization in preparation for assuming wartime operational control by 2015. Several cutting-edge military systems are currently being inducted.

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 nationwide. More recently the ROK military began increasing its participation in international affairs, acknowledging its role and responsibility as the fifteenth economic power in the world in terms of GDP. The ROK military has participated in various peacekeeping operations, and counter-terrorism operations.