Joint Chiefs of Staff (South Korea)
| Joint Chiefs of Staff of Republic of Korea | |
|---|---|
|
Insignia of Joint Chiefs of Staff | |
| Active | June 1963 - present |
| Country | South Korea |
| Commanders | |
| JCS Chairman | Lee Soon-Jin, General |
| Army Chief of Staff | Jang Jun-Kyu, General |
| Navy Chief of Staff | Um Hyun-Seong, Admiral |
| Air Force Chief of Staff | Choi Cha-Kyu, General |
Joint Chiefs of Staff of Republic of Korea (Korean: 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 the 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 five 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 and one current exceptions as October 2013) 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.
Current Members of the Republic of Korea Joint Chiefs of Staff
(Since October 2015)
| Name | Position | Branch |
|---|---|---|
| General Lee Soon-Jin | Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff & Chief Director of the Joint Defense Headquarters | Republic of Korea Army |
| General Jang Jun-Kyu | Chief of Staff of the Republic of Korea Army | Republic of Korea Army |
| Admiral Um Hyun-Seong | Chief of Naval Operations of the Republic of Korea Navy | Republic of Korea Navy |
| General Jeong Kyeong-doo | Chief of Staff of the Republic of Korea Air Force | Republic of Korea Air Force |
List of Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces
Chairman of the Combined Chiefs of Staff
| Name | Branch | Term |
|---|---|---|
| General Lee Hung-Geun | Army | Feb 1954 - June 1956 |
| General Jeong Il-Gwon | Army | Jun 1956 - May 1957 |
| Lieutenant 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 Yu Byung-hyun | Army | Dec 1979 - May 1981 | |
| General Yoon Seung-Min | Army | May 1981 - May 1982 | |
| General Kim Yoon-Ho | Army | May 1982 - Jun 1983 | |
| 1966 Korean Minister to the U.S.
1969 Commander of Baekma Operation Division Dispatched to Vietnam 1972 Division Commander 1977 Deputy Commander of Training and Doctrine Command 1979 Corps Commander 1981 1st Army Commander 1982 Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff 1985 Researcher of Center for Strategic and International Studies |
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 | Army | Apr 2005 - Nov 2006 | |
| General Kim Kwan-Jin | Army | Nov 2006 - Mar 2008 | |
| General Kim Tae-Young | Army | Mar 2008 - Oct 2009 | |
| General Lee Sang-Eui | Army | Oct 2009 - Jun 2010 | |
| General Han Min-Goo | Army | Jun 2010 - Oct 2011 | |
| General Jeong Seung-Jo | Army | Oct 2011 - Oct 2013 | |
| Admiral Choi Yoon-Hee | Navy | Oct 2013 - Oct 2015 | |
| General Lee Soon-Jin | Army | Oct 2015 - Current |
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