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
Chairman	Lee Sang-Eui, General
Chief of the Army	Lim Choung-Bin, General
Chief of the Navy	Jung Ok-Keun, Admiral
Chief of the Air Force	Lee Gye-Hoon, General

Joint Chiefs of Staff of Republic of Korea (Hangul: 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 his/her 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 5 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 exception) 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

(As October 2009)

Name	Position	Branch
General Han Min-Gu	Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff & Chief Director of the Joint Defense Headquarters	Republic of Korea Army
General Hwang Ui-Don	Chief of Staff of the Republic of Korea Army	Republic of Korea Army
Admiral Kim Sung-Chan	Chief of Naval Operations of the Republic of Korea Navy	Republic of Korea Navy
General Park Jong-Hun	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 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 Lieu Byeung-Hun	Army	Dec 1979 - May 1981
General Yoon Seung-Min	Army	May 1981 - May 1982
General Kang Yoon-Hoo	Army	May 1982 - Jun 1983
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 - Apr 2010
General Han Min-Goo	Army	Apr 2010 - current