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Latest news on the South Korea's military and their development domestically and scientifically. Get breaking news on exercises, expansion and more.

The ROK Armed Forces consists of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps and is one of the largest and most powerful standing armed forces in the world with a reported personnel strength of 3,600,000 (500,000 active and 3,100,000 reserve).

The Army is the largest of these branches and operates as many as 5,850 main battle tanks. The ROK Navy has around 150 commissioned ships, including submarines, destroyers, and frigates. The ROK Marine Corps (ROKMC) acts as a specialist branch of the Navy which carries out its amphibious operations, the Corps also functions as a strategic reserve and rapid reaction force. Finally, the ROK Airforce is South Korea's modern air force and operates 720 aircraft, including the new F-35 Lightning II and renowned F-16 Fighting Falcon.

South Korea maintains this strength through a system of conscription which requires male citizens between the ages of 18 and 35 to perform compulsory military service. Exemptions exist for those unfit to serve or those who qualify as “art and sports personnel” upon recommendation by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The primary security concern for South Korea is North Korea. The Korean Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) separates the two countries, and tensions persist on the Korean Peninsula. The two Koreas most notably fought each other in the Korean War, which killed between 2-3 million people, and no formal peace treaty has ever been signed.