Royal Joseon Navy

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Royal Joseon Navy
Flag of the Republic of Korea Navy.svg
Service flag of the Royal Joseon Navy
Active13 August 1392 - present
Country Joseon
TypeNavy
RoleNaval warfare, Counterterrorism
Size204,000
  • Marine Corps: 59,000
Part of Royal Joseon Armed Forces
Navy HeadquartersGyeryongdae, Chungcheongnam-do
Motto(s)"To the sea, to the world"
Anniversaries
  • Armed Forces Day (13 August)
  • Victory Day (15 August)
Engagements
Commanders
Prime MinisterPark Yohan
Minister of DefenseLee Hyeyul
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs StaffAdrian Quaritch
The Chief of Naval StaffLim Kyungtae

The Royal Joseon Navy is a branch in charge of naval combat for the Royal Joseon Armed Forces. It is composed of 204,000 active duty troops, and about 852,400 reservists as of 2023.

The Royal Joseon Navy originated from the Joseon Navy, which was founded in 1392 with the founding of Joseon. The Joseon Navy changed into the Royal Joseon Navy in 1804 with the application of a modernized system, and the modern command structure was established in 1958.

The Royal Joseon Navy is classified as a Blue-water navy capable of smooth military operations in the distant oceans. Royal Joseon Navy is building fleets around large ships such as aircraft carriers, cruisers, and destroyers for smooth operations in the distant oceans. Recently, the Navy has been strengthening its unmanned weapons operations capabilities by increasing unmanned combat assets.

Today, the Royal Joseon Navy'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 43 percent.

Organization

The Navy consists of two branches: regular and reserve forces. The regular navy consists of active duty soldiers and maintains standing fleets. 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 fleets. Reserve forces are called up once a year and trained for three days.

The Navy is commanded by the The Chief of Naval Staff, who is the highest-ranking general in the Navy, 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 Navy

Naval Special Warfare Flotilla

Naval Special Warfare Flotilla consists of two special forces regiments and one water rescue mission regiment.

Royal Joseon Marine Corps

Main article: Royal Joseon Marine Corps

Equipment

See also:

Uniforms

Personnel

Commissioned officer ranks

Rank group General officer Senior officer|Field officer Junior officer
Combat uniform Marshal of the RoK

Admiral of the Navy

Superior general

Admiral

Middle general

Vice Admiral

Junior general

Rear Admiral

Lesser general

Rear Admiral(lower half)

Superior commander

Captain

Middle commander

Commander

Junior commander

Lieutenant Commander

Superior lieutenant

Lieutenant

Middle lieutenant

Lieutenant Junior Grade

Junior lieutenant

Ensign

Warrant officer ranks
Rank group Warrant officer
 Royal Joseon Navy SouthKorea-Collar-WO.svg
SouthKorea-Navy-WO.svg
Chief Warrant Officer
Other ranks
Rank group Non-commissioned officer Enlisted
Combat uniform Sergeant Major

Master Chief Petty Officer

Master Sergeant

Senior Chief Petty Officer

Sergeant 1st Class

Chief Petty Officer

Staff Sergeant

Petty Officer First Class

Sergeant

Petty Officer Second Class

Corporal

Petty Officer Third Class

Private 1st Class

Seaman

Private

Ordinary Seaman

Gallery

See also