The
Republic of Korea Armed Forces (;
Hanja: 大韓民國國軍;
Revised Romanization:
Daehanminguk Gukgun, literally "Great Korean Republic National Military") are also known as the
ROK Armed Forces, are the
armed forces of
South Korea. Created in 1948, following the
division of Korea, the Republic of Korea Armed Forces is one of the largest standing
armed forces in the world with a reported personnel strength of 3,600,000 in 2014 (630,000 active and 2,970,000 reserve). The ROK military forces are responsible for maintaining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the republic, but often engage in
humanitarian and
disaster-relief efforts nationwide. More recently the ROK military began increasing its participation in international affairs, acknowledging its role and responsibility as the fifteenth economic power in the world in terms of GDP. The ROK military has participated in various
peacekeeping operations, and
counter-terrorism operations.