The Republic of Korea Army (ROKA; Korean: 대한민국 육군; Hanja: 大韓民國陸軍; RR: Daehanminguk Yukgun), also known as the ROK Army or South Korean Army, is the army of South Korea, responsible for ground-based warfare. It is the largest of the military branches of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces with 400,000 members as of 2025. This size is maintained through conscription: All able-bodied South Korean males must complete military service (18 months for the army, auxiliary police, and marines, 20 months for the navy and conscripted firefighters, 21 months for the air force and social service, and 36 months for alternative service) between the ages of 18 and 35.
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👉 Republic of Korea Army in the context of Operation Pokpung
Operation Pokpung (Korean: 폭풍 작전, lit. ''Operation Storm'') was the invasion of South Korea (Republic of Korea, ROK) by North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea, DPRK) that triggered the Korean War. North Korea launched the blitzkrieg by crossing the 38th parallel north and swarming South Korea at 04:00 PYT/KST on 25 June 1950. The DPRK did not declare war before the invasion and rushed to encircle and eventually capture Seoul, the capital of South Korea, from the ROK within a week.
North Korea had mobilized for an invasion of South Korea for over year prior with support from the Soviet Union, which trained and supplied the Korean People's Army (KPA) with weapons, munitions, armored fighting vehicles, tanks, and aircraft. The vastly superiorly armed and trained KPA overwhelmed and overran the ill-prepared and underarmed Republic of Korea Army (ROKA); thus the DPRK captured Seoul within three days on 28 June.
In this Dossier
- ⭐ Core Definition: Republic of Korea Army
- 👉 Republic of Korea Army in the context of Operation Pokpung
- Republic of Korea Army in the context of Second Republic of Korea
- Republic of Korea Army in the context of Korea Military Academy
- Republic of Korea Army in the context of 9th Infantry Division (South Korea)
- Republic of Korea Army in the context of Battle of Inchon
Republic of Korea Army in the context of Second Republic of Korea
The Second Republic of Korea (Korean: 제2공화국; RR: Je-i Gonghwaguk; lit. "Second Republic") was the government of South Korea from June 1960 to May 1961.
The Second Republic was founded months after the April Revolution mass protests against President Syngman Rhee, succeeding the First Republic and establishing a parliamentary government under President Yun Posun and Prime Minister Chang Myon. The Second Republic ended Rhee's authoritarianism and repression, formed a liberal democracy, and formulated the first Five-Year Plans to develop the formerly neglected economy. After thirteen months it was overthrown by the South Korean Army in the May 16 coup led by Park Chung Hee. The Second Republic was replaced by a provisional military government under the Supreme Council for National Reconstruction, leading to the Third Republic of Korea.
Republic of Korea Army in the context of Korea Military Academy
Korea Military Academy (KMA) is the leading South Korean institution for the education and training of officer cadets for the Republic of Korea Army. Along with the Korea Army Academy (Yeongcheon), it produces the largest number of senior officers in the Korean army. Commonly referred to as Hwarangdae (Korean: 화랑대 Hanja: 花郞臺) as a reference to the Hwarang, an elite organization of youth leaders which existed in Korean history, it is located in Nowon-gu, a northeastern district of Seoul, South Korea.
Republic of Korea Army in the context of 9th Infantry Division (South Korea)
The 9th Infantry Division (Korean: 제9보병사단, Hanja: 第九步兵師團), also known as White Horse Division (Korean: 백마부대; hanja:白馬師團) after the victory of Battle of White Horse Hill, is an infantry division of the Republic of Korea Army. The unit is composed of the 28th, 29th, 30th infantry brigades, and an artillery brigade.
Republic of Korea Army in the context of Battle of Inchon
The Battle of Incheon (Korean: 인천 상륙 작전; Hanja: 仁川上陸作戰; RR: Incheon Sangnyuk Jakjeon), also called Incheon landing, was an amphibious invasion and a battle of the Korean War that resulted in a decisive victory and strategic reversal in favor of the United Nations Command (UN). The operation involved some 75,000 troops and 261 naval vessels and led to the recapture of the South Korean capital of Seoul two weeks later. The code name for the Incheon operation was Operation Chromite.
The battle began on 15 September 1950 and ended on 19 September. Through a surprise amphibious assault far from the Pusan Perimeter that UN and Republic of Korea Army (ROK) forces were desperately defending, the largely undefended city of Incheon was secured after being bombed by UN forces. The battle ended a string of victories by the North Korean Korean People's Army (KPA). The subsequent UN recapture of Seoul partially severed the KPA's supply lines in South Korea.