Republic of Korea Armed Forces

Republic of Korea Armed Forces
Republic of Korea Armed Forces
대한민국 국군 (Korean)
	Flag of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces
Founded	15 August 1948
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
Leadership
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
Personnel
Military age	18
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)
Expenditure
Budget	₩61.24 trillion ; US$46.3 billion (2025) (ranked 11th)
Percent of GDP	2.32% (2025)
Industry
Domestic suppliers	DI Optical; Farymann & TZEN; Hanwha Aerospace; Hanwha Ocean; Hanwha Systems; HD Hyundai Heavy Industries; HD Hyundai Infracore; HJ Shipbuilding & Construction; Hyundai Rotem; Hyundai WIA; Kia Corporation; Korea Aerospace Industries; Korean Air; LIG Nex1; Poongsan Corporation; Samyang Chemical; Samyang Comtech; Satrec Initiative; SG Safety Corporation; SNT Dynamics; SNT Motiv;
Foreign suppliers	European Union France; Germany; Spain; Italy; Netherlands; ; Israel; Republic of China (Taiwan); United Kingdom; United States;
Related articles
History	Korean War (1950–1953); Vietnam War (1965–1973); Persian Gulf War (1990–1991); War in Afghanistan (2001–2016); Iraq War (2003–2011);
Ranks	Comparative military ranks of Korea; Military ranks of South Korea

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.