The Military ranks of South Korea are the military insignia used by the
Republic of Korea Armed Forces
The Republic of Korea Armed Forces (), 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 o ...
. Due to the close military cooperation and the presence of the
United States Forces Korea
United States Forces Korea (USFK) is a sub-unified command of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). USFK is the joint headquarters for U.S. combat-ready fighting forces and components under the ROK/US Combined Forces Command (CFC) – a ...
, South Korean ranks are inspired by the United States.
Current ranks
Commissioned officer ranks
The rank insignia of
commissioned officer
An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service.
Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent contex ...
s.
Warrant officer ranks
All branches of the South Korean armed forces maintain a single warrant officer rank known as . This rank falls in between non-commissioned and commissioned officers. The rank is denoted by a gold-colored insignia and, in the case of the South Korean Navy, a single broken sleeve stripe.
Other ranks
The rank insignia of
non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...
s and
enlisted personnel.
Historic ranks
Other ranks
See also
*
Comparative military ranks of Korea
*
Military ranks of North Korea
References
External links
*
{{South Korean armed forces
Korea, South
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...
Military ranks of South Korea