The Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Republic of Korea (,

Hanja Hanja (Hangul: ; Hanja: , ), alternatively known as Hancha, are Chinese characters () used in the writing of Korean. Hanja was used as early as the Gojoseon period, the first ever Korean kingdom. (, ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary, ...

: 大韓民國合同參謀本部) is a group of Chiefs from each major branch of the armed services in the South Korean military. Unlike the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

' counterpart which is primarily advisory, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has actual operational control over all military personnel of South Korea's armed forces. The National Command Authority runs from the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

and the

Minister of National Defense A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and then to Operational Commands of the service branches, bypassing the Headquarters of each service branch. Currently there are five Operational Commands in the Army, two in the Navy (including the Marine Corps) and one in the Air Force. It was created in May 1954 and assumed its current name in 1963, though there had been Supreme Command of the Armed Forces dating from 1948. All (regular) members of the Joint Chiefs of Staffs are four-star generals and admirals, though the deputy chairman in the past has been three-star

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

or vice admiral intermittently. Traditionally, the chairman is chosen from the Army (with one previous and one current exceptions as October 2013) while the deputy chairman is selected from either the Navy or the Air Force. The Commandant of the Marine Corps, legally subordinate to the Chief of Naval Operations of the

Republic of Korea Navy The Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN; ko, 대한민국 해군), also known as the ROK Navy or South Korean Navy, is the naval warfare service branch of the South Korean armed forces, responsible for naval and amphibious operations. The ROK Navy i ...

, may attend the Joint Chiefs of Staff meetings when examining matters pertaining to the Marine Corps.

Current members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

List of chairmen

References

External links

R.O.K. Joint Chiefs of Staff (Official Website)
{{Authority control Military of South Korea Joint military units and formations of South Korea Ministry of National Defense (South Korea) Yongsan District