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

Hanja Hanja (; ), alternatively spelled Hancha, are Chinese characters used to write the Korean language. After characters were introduced to Korea to write Literary Chinese, they were adapted to write Korean as early as the Gojoseon period. () ...

: 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 The Republic of Korea Armed Forces (), also known as the ROK Armed Forces, are the Military, 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 ...

. Unlike the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

' counterpart which is primarily advisory, the

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) is the presiding officer of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The chairman is the highest-ranking and most senior military officer in the United States Armed Forces Chairman: appointment; gra ...

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: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

and the Minister of National Defense to the Chairman and then to the Operational Commands of the service branches, bypassing the headquarters of each service branch. Currently there are five Operational Commands in the

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

, two in the

Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

(including the

Marine Corps Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included raiding ashore (often in supp ...

) and one in the

Air Force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...

. It was created in May 1954 and assumed its current name in 1963, though there had been the 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 a three-star

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank 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 battlefield, who was norma ...

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 Commandant of the Marine Corps may refer to: * Commandant of the Marine Corps (Indonesia) * Commandant of the Netherlands Marine Corps * Commandant of the Philippine Marine Corps * Commandant of the Republic of Korea Marine Corps * Commandant of th ...

, legally subordinate to the

Chief of Naval Operations The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the highest-ranking officer of the United States Navy. The position is a statutory office () held by an Admiral (United States), admiral who is a military adviser and deputy to the United States Secretary ...

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

List of chairmen

References

External links

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