Joint Chiefs of Staff (Republic of Korea)
Encyclopedia
Joint Chiefs of Staff of Republic of Korea (Hangul
: 대한민국 합동참모본부, Hanja
: 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 Republic of Korea Armed Forces
. Unlike his/her United States
counterpart, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has Operational Control over all military personnel of the Armed Forces. The National Command Authority runs from the President
and the Minister of Defense to the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff and then to Operational Commands of the service branches, bypassing the Headquarters of each service branch. Currently there are 5 Operational Commands in the Army, two in the Navy (including the Marine Corps) and 1 in the Air Force.
It was created in May 1954, though there had been Supreme Command of the Armed Force dating from 1948.
All (regular) members of the Joint Chiefs of Staffs are 4-star generals and admirals, though the Deputy Chairman in the past has been 3-star Lieutenant-General or Vice-Admiral intermittently. Traditionally, the Chairman is chosen from the Army (with one previous exception) while the Deputy Chairman is selected from either the Navy or the Air Force. The Commandant of the Marine Corps
, legally subordinate to the Republic of Korea Navy
, can attend the Joint Chiefs of Staff meetings when examining the matter pertaining to the Marine Corps.
Hangul
Hangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...
: 대한민국 합동참모본부, Hanja
Hanja
Hanja is the Korean name for the Chinese characters hanzi. More specifically, it refers to those Chinese characters borrowed from Chinese and incorporated into the Korean language with Korean pronunciation...
: 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 Republic of Korea Armed Forces
Military of South Korea
The Republic of Korea Armed Forces or ROK Armed Forces, is the armed forces of the Republic of Korea...
. Unlike his/her United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
counterpart, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has Operational Control over all military personnel of the Armed Forces. The National Command Authority runs from the President
President of South Korea
The President of the Republic of Korea is, according to the Constitution of the Republic of Korea, chief executive of the government, commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and the head of state of the Republic of Korea...
and the Minister of Defense to the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff and then to Operational Commands of the service branches, bypassing the Headquarters of each service branch. Currently there are 5 Operational Commands in the Army, two in the Navy (including the Marine Corps) and 1 in the Air Force.
It was created in May 1954, though there had been Supreme Command of the Armed Force dating from 1948.
All (regular) members of the Joint Chiefs of Staffs are 4-star generals and admirals, though the Deputy Chairman in the past has been 3-star Lieutenant-General or Vice-Admiral intermittently. Traditionally, the Chairman is chosen from the Army (with one previous exception) while the Deputy Chairman is selected from either the Navy or the Air Force. The Commandant of the Marine Corps
Republic of Korea Marine Corps
The Republic of Korea Marine Corps is the marine corps of the Republic of Korea...
, legally subordinate to the Republic of Korea Navy
Chief of Naval Operations
The Chief of Naval Operations is a statutory office held by a four-star admiral in the United States Navy, and is the most senior uniformed officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Navy. The office is a military adviser and deputy to the Secretary of the Navy...
, can attend the Joint Chiefs of Staff meetings when examining the matter pertaining to the Marine Corps.
Current Members of the Republic of Korea Joint Chiefs of Staff
(Since December 2010)| Name | Position | Branch |
|---|---|---|
| General General A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given.... Han Min-Goo Han Min-goo General Han Min-goo, ROKA, is the 40th Chief of Staff of the Republic of Korea Army & current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces.... |
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff & Chief Director of the Joint Defense Headquarters | Republic of Korea Army Republic of Korea Army The Republic of Korea Army is the largest of the military branches of the South Korean armed forces with 520,000 members as of 2010... |
| General General A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given.... Kim Sang-Ki |
Chief of Staff of the Republic of Korea Army | Republic of Korea Army Republic of Korea Army The Republic of Korea Army is the largest of the military branches of the South Korean armed forces with 520,000 members as of 2010... |
| Admiral Admiral Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"... Kim Sung-Chan |
Chief of Naval Operations of the Republic of Korea Navy | Republic of Korea Navy Republic of Korea Navy The Republic of Korea Navy or the ROK Navy is the branch of the South Korean armed forces responsible for conducting naval operations and amphibious landing operations. The ROK Navy includes the Republic of Korea Marine Corps, which is a quasi-autonomous organization... |
| General General A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given.... Park Jong-Heon |
Chief of Staff of the Republic of Korea Air Force | Republic of Korea Air Force Republic of Korea Air Force The Republic of Korea Air Force is the air force of South Korea... |
Chairman of the Combined Chiefs of Staff
| Name | Branch | Term |
|---|---|---|
| General Lee Hung-Geun | Army Roka Roka is a khum of Sangkae District in Battambang Province in north-western Cambodia.-Villages:* Chhung Tradak* Pou Batdambang* Ambaeng Thngae* Roka* Ta Haen Muoy* Ta Haen Pir... |
Feb 1954 - June 1956 |
| General Jeong Il-Gwon | Army | Jun 1956 - May 1957 |
| Lieutenant General Lieutenant General Lieutenant General 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 normally subordinate to a Captain General.... Yu Jae-Hyung |
Army | May 1957 - Feb 1959 |
| General Baek Seon-Yeop | Army | Feb 1959 - May 1960 |
| Lieutenant General Choi Young-Hee | Army | Aug 1960 - Oct 1960 |
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
| Name | Branch | Term |
|---|---|---|
| General Paik Sun-Yup | Army | 1959 - May 1960 |
| General Kim Jong-Oh | Army | Oct 1960 - Apr 1965 |
| General Jang Chang-Guk | Army | Apr 1965 - Apr 1967 |
| General Yim Chung-Sik | Army | Apr 1967 - Aug 1968 |
| General Moon Hyeung-Tae | Army | Aug 1968 - Aug 1970 |
| General Sim Heung-Sun | Army | Aug 1970 - Jun 1972 |
| General Han Shin | Army | Jun 1972 - Feb 1975 |
| General Roh Jae-Hyun | Army | Feb 1975 - Dec 1977 |
| General Kim Jong-Hwan | Army | Dec 1977 - Dec 1979 |
| General Lieu Byeung-Hun | Army | Dec 1979 - May 1981 |
| General Yoon Seung-Min | Army | May 1981 - May 1982 |
| General Kang Yoon-Hoo | Army | May 1982 - Jun 1983 |
| General Lee Gee-Baek | Army | Jun 1983 - Jun 1985 |
| General Jung Jin-Kwon | Army | June 1985 - Jul 1986 |
| General Oh Ja-Bok | Army | Jul 1986 - Dec 1987 |
| General Choi Sae-Chang | Army | Dec 1987 - Apr 1989 |
| General Jung Ho-Geun | Army | Apr 1989 - Dec 1991 |
| General Lee Phil-Sup | Army | Dec 1991 - May 1993 |
| General Lee Yang-Ho | Air Force | May 1993 - Dec 1994 |
| General Kim Dong-Jin | Army | Dec 1994 - Oct 1996 |
| General Yoon Yeoug-Nam | Army | Oct 1996- Mar 1998 |
| General Kim Jin-Ho | Army | Mar 1998 - Oct 1999 |
| General Jo Young-Gil | Army | Oct 1999 - Oct 2001 |
| General Lee Nam-Shin | Army | Oct 2001 - Apr 2003 |
| General Kim Jong-Hwan | Army | Apr 2003 - Apr 2005 |
| General Lee Sang-Hee Lee Sang-Hee General Lee Sang-hee, ROKA, was the 32nd Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces and the 41st Republic of Korea Minister of National Defense.... |
Army | Apr 2005 - Nov 2006 |
| General Kim Kwan-Jin Kim Kwan-jin General Kim Kwan-jin, ROKA , is the current Minister of Defense of South Korea, following his appointment in November 2010. He was previously the 33rd Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces.... |
Army | Nov 2006 - Mar 2008 |
| General Kim Tae-Young Kim Tae-Young (R.O.K. Army general) General Kim Tae-young, ROKA, was the 34th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces and 42nd Republic of Korea Minister of National Defense.General Kim graduated from the Republic of Korea Military Academy in 1972... |
Army | Mar 2008 - Oct 2009 |
| General Lee Sang-Eui Lee Sang-eui General Lee Sang-eui, ROKA, was the 35th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces.Prior to assuming the position of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 2009, he was Commanding General of the Third ROK Army... |
Army | Oct 2009 - Jun 2010 |
| General Han Min-Goo Han Min-goo General Han Min-goo, ROKA, is the 40th Chief of Staff of the Republic of Korea Army & current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces.... |
Army | Jun 2010 - current |