Editing Roh Tae-woo (section)

==Military service==
During the [[Korean War]] (1950–1953), Roh joined the South Korean army as an enlisted conscript in an [[artillery]] unit, alongside singer [[Song Hae]]. He was promoted to Sergeant [[Cannoneer]] of an [[M114 155 mm howitzer]] gun line.

He later entered the [[Korean Military Academy]] (KMA), completing it in the first class of the four-year program, he graduated in February 1954 with a Bachelor of Science degree and a commission as an Army 2nd Lieutenant in the 11th class of the KMA.

A commissioned officer in the infantry from 1954, Roh rose steadily through the ranks and fought in the [[Vietnam War]], first in 1968 as a lieutenant colonel and battalion commander, later was promoted to major general and the commander of [[9th Infantry Division (Republic of Korea)|White Horse Division]] in 1979. A member of the [[Hanahoe]], a secret military group, he gave critical support to a [[Coup d'état of December Twelfth]] 1979 in which Chun became the ''de facto'' ruler of South Korea. Roh helped Chun suppress the [[Gwangju Uprising]] in May 1980.

Roh held several key army posts such as Commander of the Capital Security Command in 1979 and Commander of the Defense Security Command in 1980.

When Roh first joined the military, his surname was transcribed in English as "No." He later changed it to "Roh" to avoid the negative connotations of "No" in English.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://time.com/vault/issue/1987-12-28/page/32/ |title=Roh: "I Am a Positive Person |last=Chua-Eoan |first=Howard G. |magazine=Time |date=28 December 1987 |access-date=29 December 2021}}</ref>