History UsefulNotes / SouthKoreansWithMarines

The Republic of Korea Armed Forces was founded in 1948 in response to North Korean attacks leading to the UsefulNotes/KoreanWar. Most of the army at that time was more like a gendarmerie than a full army; when the North rolled its troops across the South, they curbstomped South Korea, until the United States decided to step in (and for a while afterward); the ROKAF later TookALevelInBadass, but a [[ChineseWithChopperSupport Chinese]] [[strike:mercenary]] voluntary army was sent by Mao Zedong, partly to help Kim Il-sung, partly because Mao feared China would be attacked by the U.S. via Manchuria and partly because Mao wanted to avoid having northern China flooded with North Korean refugees; a grinding war ensued until 1953, ending with Korea still being divided into two.

When South Korea's economy grew in the 1960s and 1970s, then-President Park Chung-hee encouraged military industry, first by making licensed copies of American military equipment, and later indigenous designs. Due to the North Korean threat, the Republic of Korea Armed Forces have a large budget.

Conscription is mandatory for males 18 and above for at least two years. It is regarded as a SeriousBusiness for South Koreans and being convicted of draft dodging comes with a mandatory ten year prison sentence, even for conscientious objectors. Actors and entertainers all have to put their careers on hold to fulfill their obligations and any misbehavior during their time in service and result in their fanbases turning on them. Failure to fulfill one's obligation, barring severe medical issues, is considered an embarassment in Korean society and can result in humiliation and ostracization. In fact when Yoo Seung-jun, a one-time popular entertainer, renounced his Korean citizenship and became a naturalized US citizen to avoid the draft, the Korean government responded by ''banning him from ever entering the country again'' and a public opinion poll showed that Koreans overwhelmingly supported the decision.

Conscription is mandatory for males 18 and above for at least two years. It is regarded as a SeriousBusiness for South Koreans, actors and entertainers included, to perform the service, and trying to avoid service is a serious offense and can cause any person to be imprisoned for a time. It's also seen as deeply embarrassing--nay, humiliating--which is punishment all its own.

The TropeNamer, the ROKMAR, although theoretically under the direction of the Chief of Naval Operations, operates as a distinct arm of the military of South Korea. It has a badass reputation; during the [[UsefulNotes/KoreanWar Korean]] and [[UsefulNotes/VietnamWar Vietnam]] Wars, they were so successful in fishing out North Korean and Vietcong guerrillas that they earned the nickname "Ghost-Catching Marines." One example in Korea is that a squad of ROK Marines had almost decimated an entire North Korean ''battalion''. In Vietnam, the Vietcong and the NVA dreaded fighting Korean Marines; one battle involved 300 South Koreans successfully fending off an entire North Vietnamese brigade with minimal casualties. They were famous for their special style of combat, and ROK commandos sometimes killed Vietcong with karate chops in close-up fights. By comparison, American soldiers in Vietnam had a lower kill ratio than the Koreans, serving only to further their reputation as badasses around the world.

The South Korean Armed Forces is modeled after the way the U.S. military worked between the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Security_Act_of_1947 National Security Act of 1947]] and the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldwater%E2%80%93Nichols_Act Goldwater-Nichols Act]] of 1986; this means that while the chain of command runs from the President through the Minister of National Defense, advised by career military Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Joint Chiefs are also in the operational chain of command of their respective branches, rather than serving as advisors with command running directly from the civilian officials to combatant commands. This difference is rendered irrelevant by the nature of South Korea's defense needs: the U.S. has a combatant command for each theater of operations plus one each for special forces, nuclear weapons, and logistics. However, South Korea only has one theater of operations to speak of (''[[UsefulNotes/NorthKorea ahem]]''), has no nukes, and (being a geographically small country with precisely one military enemy worth talking about) its special forces and logistics needs don't require a top-level command, so the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs is basically the commander for the country's lone combatant command. Also borrowed from the YanksWithTanks is the presence of a quasi-independent Marine Corps theoretically subordinate to the Navy but really an elite combined-arms fourth branch of the military. In addition to the US influence, however, because a large number of combat-experienced Koreans who served in the [[UsefulNotes/KatanasOfTheRisingSun Imperial Japanese armed forces]] during UsefulNotes/WorldWar2 played an instrumental role in setting up South Korean military in the beginning, there was a distinctive Japanese flavor in its early days. This was often remarked on by the Vietnamese during the VietnamWar, to whom South Koreans (who sent a sizable contingent to support US in that conflict) looked like a SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute to the Japanese whom they had to deal with a couple of decades before. Furthermore, since many of these Korean veterans of Japanese military had often fought against Leftist Korean guerrillas as Japanese soldiers, this often becomes a point of controversy in South Korean politics.

[[StealthPun Despite the title]], has nothing to do with South Korea's use of ''other'' [[{{Starcraft}} Marines]].

The Republic of Korea Armed Forces was founded in 1948 in response to North Korean attacks leading to the UsefulNotes/KoreanWar. Most of the army at that time was more like a gendarmerie than a full army; when the North rolled its troops across the South, they curbstomped South Korea, until the United States decided to step in (and for a while afterward); the ROKAF later TookALevelInBadass, but a [[{{ChineseWithChopperSupport}} Chinese]] [[strike:mercenary]] voluntary army was sent by Mao Zedong, partly to help Kim Il-sung, partly because Mao feared China would be attacked by the U.S. via Manchuria and partly because Mao wanted to avoid having northern China flooded with North Korean refugees; a grinding war ensued until 1953, ending with Korea still being divided into two.

* The DaleBrown novel ''Battle Born'', involving a Second Korean War.

The South Korean Armed Forces is modeled after the way the U.S. military worked between the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Security_Act_of_1947 National Security Act of 1947]] and the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldwater%E2%80%93Nichols_Act Goldwater-Nichols Act]] of 1986; this means that while the chain of command runs from the President through the Minister of National Defense, advised by career military Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Joint Chiefs are also in the operational chain of command of their respective branches, rather than serving as advisors with command running directly from the civilian officials to combatant commands. This difference is rendered irrelevant by the nature of South Korea's defense needs: the U.S. has a combatant command for each theater of operations plus one each for special forces, nuclear weapons, and logistics. However, South Korea only has one theater of operations to speak of, has no nukes, and its special forces and logistics needs don't require a top-level command, so the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs is basically the commander for the country's lone combatant command. Also borrowed from the YanksWithTanks is the presence of a quasi-independent Marine Corps theoretically subordinate to the Navy but really an elite combined-arms fourth branch of the military. In addition to the US influence, however, because a large number of combat-experienced Koreans who served in the [[UsefulNotes/KatanasOfTheRisingSun Imperial Japanese armed forces]] during UsefulNotes/WorldWar2 played an instrumental role in setting up South Korean military in the beginning, there was a distinctive Japanese flavor in its early days. This was often remarked on by the Vietnamese during the VietnamWar, to whom South Koreans (who sent a sizable contingent to support US in that conflict) looked like a SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute to the Japanese whom they had to deal with a couple of decades before. Furthermore, since many of these Korean veterans of Japanese military had often fought against Leftist Korean guerrillas as Japanese soldiers, this often becomes a point of controversy in South Korean politics.

The South Korean Armed Forces is modeled after the way the U.S. military worked between the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Security_Act_of_1947 National Security Act of 1947]] and the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldwater%E2%80%93Nichols_Act Goldwater-Nichols Act]] of 1986; this means that while the chain of command runs from the President through the Minister of National Defense, advised by career military Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Joint Chiefs are also in the operational chain of command of their respective branches, rather than serving as advisors with command running directly from the civilian officials to combatant commands. This difference is rendered irrelevant by the nature of South Korea's defense needs: the U.S. has a combatant command for each theater of operations plus one each for special forces, nuclear weapons, and logistics. However, South Korea only has one theater of operations to speak of, has no nukes, and its special forces and logistics needs don't require a top-level command, so the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs is basically the commander for the country's lone combatant command. Also borrowed from the YanksWithTanks is the presence of a quasi-independent Marine Corps theoretically subordinate to the Navy but really an elite combined-arms fourth branch of the military. In addition to the US influence, however, because a large number of combat-experienced Koreans who served in the [[UsefulNotes/KatanasOfTheRisingSun Imperial Japanese armed forces]] during WorldWar2 played an instrumental role in setting up South Korean military in the beginning, there was a distinctive Japanese flavor in its early days. This was often remarked on by the Vietnamese during the VietnamWar, to whom South Koreans (who sent a sizable contingent to support US in that conflict) looked like a SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute to the Japanese whom they had to deal with a couple of decades before. Furthermore, since many of these Korean veterans of Japanese military had often fought against Leftist Korean guerrillas as Japanese soldiers, this often becomes a point of controversy in South Korean politics.

The TropeNamer, the ROKMAR, although theoretically under the direction of the Chief of Naval Operations, operates as a distinct arm of the military of South Korea. It has a {{Badass}} reputation; during the [[UsefulNotes/KoreanWar Korean]] and [[UsefulNotes/VietnamWar Vietnam]] Wars, they were so successful in fishing out North Korean and Vietcong guerrillas that they earned the nickname "Ghost-Catching Marines." One example in Korea is that a squad of ROK Marines had almost decimated an entire North Korean ''battalion''. In Vietnam, the Vietcong and the NVA dreaded fighting Korean Marines; one battle involved 300 South Koreans successfully fending off an entire North Vietnamese brigade with minimal casualties. They were famous for their special style of combat, and ROK commandos sometimes killed Vietcong with karate chops in close-up fights. By comparison, American soldiers in Vietnam had a lower kill ratio than the Koreans, serving only to further their reputation as badasses around the world.

----
<<|ForcesWithFirepower|>>
<<|UsefulNotes/SouthKorea|>>

The South Korean Armed Forces is modeled after the way the U.S. military worked between the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Security_Act_of_1947 National Security Act of 1947]] and the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldwater%E2%80%93Nichols_Act Goldwater-Nichols Act]] of 1986; this means that while the chain of command runs from the President through the Minister of National Defense, advised by career military Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Joint Chiefs are also in the operational chain of command of their respective branches, rather than serving as advisors with command running directly from the civilian officials to combatant commands. This difference is rendered irrelevant by the nature of South Korea's defense needs: the U.S. has a combatant command for each theater of operations plus one each for special forces, nuclear weapons, and logistics. However, South Korea only has one theater of operations to speak of, has no nukes, and its special forces and logistics needs don't require a top-level command, so the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs is basically the commander for the country's lone combatant command. Also borrowed from the YanksWithTanks is the presence of a quasi-independent Marine Corps theoretically subordinate to the Navy but really an elite combined-arms fourth branch of the military. In addition to the US influence, however, because a large number of combat-experienced Koreans who served in the [[KatanasOfTheRisingSun Imperial Japanese armed forces]] during WorldWar2 played an instrumental role in setting up South Korean military in the beginning, there was a distinctive Japanese flavor in its early days. This was often remarked on by the Vietnamese during the VietnamWar, to whom South Koreans (who sent a sizable contingent to support US in that conflict) looked like a SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute to the Japanese whom they had to deal with a couple of decades before. Furthermore, since many of these Korean veterans of Japanese military had often fought against Leftist Korean guerrillas as Japanese soldiers, this often becomes a point of controversy in South Korean politics.

The CFC arrangement has caused resentment in South Koreans because the officer who would lead their armies to war answers to the Pentagon, not Seoul. This put the United States in a unpopular position when it was perceived to be supporting South Korea's [[TheSpyMaster intelligence chief]] and strongman, Lt General Chun Doo-hwan, during the 1980 crackdown at [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwangju_massacre Gwangju]].

* South Korean soldiers appear in the Seoul mission in ''VideoGame/SplinterCell: Chaos Theory''. Notably, they are just as hostile to Sam as North Korean soldiers are, if only because a guy in a full black suit with guns and tools strapped all over sneaking around an active warzone would look pretty suspicious to anyone.

In the event of war on the Korean Peninsula (most likely the Korean War unpausing), the defense of South Korea would be coordinated from CFC, meaning that all South Korean forces will be commanded by an American officer. UNC still exists as an entity devoid of muscle but it could be [[GondorCallsForAid reactivated]] in the event other countries wish to commit their forces to help in the defense of South Korea.

The CFC arrangement has caused resentment in South Koreans because foreign officer would be commanding their military. This put the United States in a unpopular position when it was perceived to be supporting South Korea's [[TheSpyMaster intelligence chief]] and strongman, Lt General Chun Doo-hwan, during the 1980 crackdown at [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwangju_massacre Gwangju]].

There has been recent debate within South Korea about whether total OPCON in time of war should be transferred back to the ROK entirely. The government of Park Geun-hye postponed a decision on the matter which was due at the end of 2014. The debate is contentious, but it is substantially less acrimonious than it has been in past years, in large part because of the increasingly positive opinion the Korean public has for the US (as recently as the early 2000s, (South) Korean public opinion consistently hovered in the 60-70% ''anti''-US range, while at present that's almost reversed and South Koreans are among the most pro-American people in East Asia, although not ''quite'' so much as the Filipinos and--oddly--the Vietnamese).

There has been recent debate within South Korea about whether total OPCON in time of war should be transferred back to the ROK entirely. The government of Park Geun-hye postponed a decision on the matter which was due at the end of 2014. The debate is contentious, but it is substantially less acrimonious than it has been in past years, in large part because of the increasingly positive opinion the Korean public has for the US (as recently as the early 2000s, (South) Korean public opinion consistently hovered in the 60-70% ''anti''-US range, while at present that's reversed).

In the event of war on the Korean Peninsular (most likely the Korean War unpausing), the defence of South Korea would be coordinated from CFC, meaning that all South Korean forces will be commanded by an American officer. UNC still exists as an entity devoid of muscle but it could be [[GondorCallsForAid reactivated]] in the event other countries wish to commit their forces to help in the defence of South Korea.

There has been recent debate within South Korea about whether total OPCON in time of war should be transferred back to the ROK entirely. The government of Park Geun-hye postponed a decision on the matter which was due at the end of 2014.

Combined Forces Command (CFC) was created by the ROK and the United States later in 1978, totally separate from the United Nations Command, by which time the United States was the only foreign country with a significant military presence on the Korean peninsular. CFC is headed by an American four star officer (and dual hatting with USFK, rather like how NATO's Supreme Commander is also commanding officer of US European Command) with an ROK officer as deputy.

South Korea is a key ally of the United States; it is said that losing South Korea (to North Korea or China) would be disastrous for America, and Japan is having doubts about America's ability to protect the region and is considering wheter it should make its own KaijuDefenseForce as badass as shown in anime. Japan's concerns have been curbed somewhat by a new American foreign policy emphasizing focus on East Asia and the Pacific.

* ROK forces are a thorn in your side in the Soviet Campaign of ''CommandAndConquer Red Alert 2'', conducting a raid on the Russian Far East and screwing up your invasion of Hawaii. They also get quite possibly the most awesome special unit on the Allied side in multiplayer/skirmish mode: the Black Eagle, a better version of the usual Allied Harrier fighter plane.

The CFC arrangement has caused resentment in South Koreans. This put the United States in a unpopular position when it was perceived to be supporting South Korea's [[TheSpyMaster intelligence chief]] and strongman, Chun Doo-hwan, during the 1980 crackdown at [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwangju_massacre Gwangju]].

In 1994 South Korea's government assumed all responsibility for its own military's affairs in peacetime. In the event of war however, operational control (OPCON) however falls to CFC. All ROK military deployments in [[WaronTerror Afghanistan]] and [[IraqWar Iraq]] were undertaken on the initiative of its government and OPCON of their forces fell to ISAF (NATO) or Multinational Force-Iraq (USCENTCOM) respectively, not CFC.

There has been recent debate within South Korea about whether total OPCON in time of war should be transferred back to it the ROK entirely. The government of Park Geun-hye postponed a decision on the matter which was due at the end of 2014.

* The South Korean Army appears in ''{{Mercenaries}}'' as one of the factions invading North Korea. They are depicted as being supported by the American CIA, and are equipped at the same level as the Allied Nations expedition.

Conscription is mandatory for males 18 and above for at least two years. It is regarded as a SeriousBusiness for South Koreans, actors and entertainers included, to perform the service, and trying to avoid service is a serious offense and can cause any person to be imprisoned for a time.

The South Korean Armed Forces is modeled after the way the U.S. military worked between the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Security_Act_of_1947 National Security Act of 1947]] and the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldwater%E2%80%93Nichols_Act Goldwater-Nichols Act]] of 1986; this means that while the chain of command runs from the President through the Minister of National Defense, advised by career military Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Joint Chiefs are also in the operational chain of command of their respective branches, rather than serving as advisors with command running directly from the civilian officials to combatant commands. This difference is rendered irrelevant by the nature of South Korea's defense needs: the U.S. has a combatant command for each theater of operations plus one each for special forces, nuclear weapons, and logistics. However, South Korea only has one theater of operations to speak of, has no nukes, and its special forces and logistics needs don't require a top-level command, so the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs is basically the commander for the country's lone combatant command. Also borrowed from the YanksWithTanks is the presence of a quasi-independent Marine Corps theoretically subordinate to the Navy but really an elite combined-arms fourth branch of the military. In addition to the US influence, however, because a large number of combat-experienced Koreans who served in the [[KatanasOfTheRisingSun Imperial Japanese armed forces]] during WorldWar2 played an instrumental role in setting up South Korean military in the beginning, there was a distinctive Japanese flavor in its early days. This was often remarked on by the Vietnamese during the VietnamWar, to whom South Koreans (who sent a sizable contingent to support US in that conflict) looked like a SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute to the Japanese whom they had to deal with a couple of decades before. Furthermore, since many of these Korean veterans of Japanese military had often fought against Leftist Korean guerrillas, this often becomes a point of controversy in South Korean politics.

South Korea is a key ally of the United States; it is said that losing South Korea (to North Korea or China) will be disastrous for America, and Japan is having doubts about America's ability to protect the region and is considering wheter it should make its own KaijuDefenseForce as badass as shown in anime. Japan's concerns have been curbed somewhat by a new American foreign policy emphasizing focus on East Asia and the Pacific.

The ROKA currently fields the K1 tank, which is as good as the M1 Abrams tank according to its creators, and the K200 and K21 series armored personnel carriers. Bizarrely enough, they also have 35 [[RedsWithRockets T-80]] [[TricoloursWithRustingRockets tanks]] that were given as part of a payment of debts the Russians owed them.