Editing Republic of Korea Armed Forces (section)

==History==
{{See also|History of South Korea}}
[[File:March of the South Korean Constabulary of Police Reserve on 15 January 1946.jpg|left|thumb|March of the South Korean Constabulary of Police Reserve, the parent of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, on 15 January 1946]]
[[File:First conscription examination conducted on 16 December 1949.jpg|left|thumb|First [[Conscription in South Korea|conscription]] examination conducted on 16 December 1949 after founding of Republic of Korea]]

The origin of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces can be traced back to the [[Korean Liberation Army|Korean Independence Army]], which was established by the [[Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea|Provisional Government of Korea in exile]] in [[Chongqing|Chongking]], [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|Republic of China]] in 1940 during the [[Korea under Japanese rule|Japanese rule of Korea]]. Many of its members became part of the South Korean armed forces later.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.joins.com/article/20863567|script-title=ko:[커버스토리] 대한민국임시정부가 만든 광복군, 어떤 군대였을까|date=2016-11-13|website=[[JoongAng Ilbo]]|language=ko|access-date=2019-07-30}}</ref> In addition, some ethnic Korean [[National Revolutionary Army|Kuomintang]] and [[Manchukuo Imperial Army|Manchukuo soldiers]] also contributed to the forces.

After [[Korea]] was liberated from the [[Empire of Japan]] on August 15, 1945, the Korean Constabulary ({{Korean|hangul=남조선국방경비대|labels=no}}) and the Korean Coast Guard (조선해안경비대, organized by [[Sohn Won-yil]] and others) were established through the [[United States Army Military Government in Korea]]. The Korean Constabulary and the Korean Coast Guard became the [[Republic of Korea Army]] and [[Republic of Korea Navy]] respectively, and formed the Republic of Korea Armed Forces after the [[First Republic of Korea|South Korean government]] was established on August 15, 1948. The [[Republic of Korea Air Force]] was founded in October 1949.

The South Korean armed forces remained largely [[constabulary]] forces until the outbreak of the [[Korean War]] on June 25, 1950, requiring the [[United Nations]] to intervene with [[United States]]-led forces. The South Korean military rapidly developed during the Korean War, despite suffering enormous casualties. As the [[Soviet Union|Soviets]] had armed North Korea, the U.S. armed and trained the South Korean military throughout the Korean War. After the Korean War, South Korea established a joint military partnership with the United States, termed the ROK-U.S. Alliance,<ref name="Thurman2">{{cite web|url=http://www.koreanconfidential.com/northkoreavssouthkorea.php|title=North Korea vs South Korea|date=22 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130410012657/http://www.koreanconfidential.com/northkoreavssouthkorea.php|archive-date=10 April 2013|url-status=dead|access-date=26 March 2013}}</ref> as outlined by the [[Mutual Defense Treaty (United States–South Korea)|Mutual Defense Treaty]]. During the [[Vietnam War]], the ROK Army and ROK Marines were among those fighting alongside [[South Vietnam]] and the United States.

In the 1970s, through the [[Park Chung Hee]] Administration's "''Yulgok'' Plan" ({{Korean|hangul=율곡사업|labels=no}}), South Korea began to build up self-reliant, national defense capability.<ref name="National Museum of Korean Contemporary History">{{cite web|url=https://www.much.go.kr/L/Z6oA5C4Axy.do|script-title=ko:1970년대 방위산업 육성 : 자주국방의 토대 구축|publisher=[[National Museum of Korean Contemporary History]]|date=|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230729094452/https://www.much.go.kr/L/Z6oA5C4Axy.do|archivedate=29 July 2023|accessdate=29 July 2023|author=}}</ref> The name derived from a scholar and an advisor to the king during the Joseon Dynasty. He had called out for an army of 10,000 men to keep the nation safe from any attacks. During South Korea's period of rapid growth in the 1980s, the military modernized, benefiting from several government-sponsored technology transfer projects and indigenous defense capability initiatives. In the 1990s, South Korean industries provided about 70 percent of the weapons, ammunition, communications and other types of equipment, vehicles, clothing, and other supplies needed by the military, and as of 2022, there are currently a total of 85 defense contractors in South Korea.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://defensejobfair.net/jobs/list_appoint.asp|script-title=ko:방산업체 지정 현황|publisher=Defense Job Fair|date=2023|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20240406013416/https://defensejobfair.net/jobs/list_appoint.asp|archivedate=6 April 2024|accessdate=6 April 2024|author1=}}</ref>

Today, the South Korean armed forces enjoy a good mix of avant-garde as well as older [[conventional weapon]]s. Its capabilities include many sophisticated Western weapon systems, complemented by a growing and increasingly more advanced indigenous defense manufacturing sector. For example, by taking advantage of the strong local shipbuilding industry, the ROK Navy has embarked on a rigorous modernization plan with ambitions to become a [[blue-water navy]] in the 2020s.<ref name="globalbearings.net2">[http://www.globalbearings.net/2011/11/north-vs-south-korea-military_06.html "North vs. South Korea: A Military Comparison."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120108223327/http://www.globalbearings.net/2011/11/north-vs-south-korea-military_06.html|date=2012-01-08}} ''Global Bearings,'' 7 November 2011.</ref>