Royal Joseon Army

Royal Joseon Army
Service flag of the Royal Joseon Army
Active	13 August 1392 - present
Country	Joseon
Type	Army
Role	Land warfare, Counterterrorism
Size	561,500
Part of	Royal Joseon Armed Forces
Army Headquarters	Gyeryongdae, Chungcheongnam-do
Mascot(s)	호국이 (Hogugi)
Anniversaries	Armed Forces Day (13 August) Victory Day (15 August)
Engagements	Imjin War Later Jin invasion of Joseon Qing invasion of Joseon Second Joseon-Qing War Battle of the East Sea The Second World War Vietnam War Gulf War Southeast Asian War New England War
Commanders
Prime Minister	Park Yohan
Minister of Defense	Lee Hyeyul
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Staff	Adrian Quaritch
The Chief of Staff of the Army	Do Seong Hwa

The Royal Joseon Army is a branch in charge of ground combat for the Royal Joseon Armed Forces. It is composed of 861,500 active duty troops, and about 3,212,000 reservists as of 2023. It is the largest service branch in the Royal Joseon Armed Forces.

The Royal Joseon Army originated from the Joseon Central Army, which was founded in 1392 with the founding of Joseon. The Joseon Central Army changed into the Royal Joseon Army in 1804 with the application of a modernized system, and the modern command structure was established in 1956.

Today, the Royal Joseon Army's soldiers who are less than officers and non-commissioned officers are maintained through conscription. Adult males 18 and older are conscripted through physical and psychological examinations and serve for a year and two months. Only 20 percent of those who are classified as eligible for conscription for the year pass physical and psychological examinations and serve in the military as an active soldier. Women can apply to join the military as noncommissioned officers or officers, and as of 2023, the proportion of women among officers and noncommissioned officers in the Royal Joseon Army was 38 percent.

Organization

The army consists of two branches: regular and reserve forces. The regular army consists of active duty soldiers and maintains standing divisions. The reserve forces consists of retired reserve forces from active duty, and when the mobilization order is issued, it is called up to form reserve corps. Reserve forces are called up once a year and trained for three days.

The Army is commanded by the Army Chief of Staff, who is the highest-ranking general in the Army, and will be ordered by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff follows the orders of the Minister of Defense, and the Minister of Defense follows the orders of the Prime Minister.

Structure

Main article: Structure of the Royal Joseon Army

Quick Response Command

See also: Quick Response Command (Joseon)

Army Special Warfare Command

The Army Special Warfare Command consists of 8 special forces brigades and one counterterrorism mission brigade.

Equipment

See also:

• List of Infantry firearms in active service with the Royal Joseon Armed Forces
• List of armored vehicles in active service with the Royal Joseon Armed Forces
• List of artilleries in active service with the Royal Joseon Armed Forces

Uniforms

• 

  Soldiers of the 1st Mechanized Infantry Division.

• 

  Troops of the Capital Defense Command in counterterrorism exercises.

• 

  Soldiers of The 9th Special Forces Brigade in infiltration exercises.

• 

  Casual service uniform of the Army.

• 

  Honor Guard of the Army.

Personnel

Commissioned officer ranks

Rank group	General officer										Senior officer|Field officer						Junior officer
Combat uniform	Marshal		Army General		Lieutenant General		Major General		Brigadier General		Colonel		Lieutenant Colonel		Major		Captain		First Lieutenant			Second Lieutenant

Warrant officer ranks

Rank group	Warrant officer
Combat uniform	Warrant officer
Royal Joseon Army
	Warrant officer

Other ranks

Rank group	Non-commissioned officer																Enlisted
Combat uniform	Sergeant Major						Master Sergeant		Sergeant First Class		Staff Sergeant						Sergeant						Corporal				Private First Class		Private

Gallery

• 

  A soldier of The 36th Infantry Division is doing a shooting.

• 

  Counter-terrorism troops of the Capital Defense Command 1st Security Group.

• 

  The K2 tanks of The 11th Maneuver Division are conducting maneuvers.

• 

  Helicopters of The 5th Combat Aviation Division are taking off for combined arms exercises.

• 

  A Hyunmoo-2C ballistic missile is being launched.

See also

• List of Infantry firearms in active service with the Royal Joseon Armed Forces
• List of armored vehicles in active service with the Royal Joseon Armed Forces
• List of artilleries in active service with the Royal Joseon Armed Forces