Comparative military ranks of Korea

Comparative military ranks of Korea refer to the ranks and insignia maintained by the three primary military powers present on the Korean Peninsula, those being the Republic of Korea Armed Forces (South Korea), the Korean People's Army of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), and the military forces of the United States in South Korea.

In the South Korean armed forces, ranks fall into one of four categories: commissioned officer, warrant officer, non-commissioned officer, and enlisted, in decreasing order of authority. Commissioned officer ranks are subdivided into "Janggwan"-level (general) officers, "Yeonggwan"-level (field-grade) officers, and "Wi-gwan"-level (company-grade) officers. The ranks of all three branches (the Army, Navy, and Air Force) of the South Korean Armed Forces share the same titles in Hangul. Most ranks of South and North Korea are identical, with some exceptions such as the supreme North Korean ranks.

The following table lists the comparative ranks of the militaries in Korea, including their rank titles and insignia. In this table, the North Korean military rank insignia shown is that of their Army field uniform shoulder boards; their parade uniforms and uniforms of other branches use alternative color schemes with the same basic design. The South Korean and U.S. militaries likewise have subdued versions of their insignia in each of their branches.

(Note on romanization: In the article, all South Korean ranks are spelled accordingly with the Revised Romanization of Korean system; all North Korean ranks use the McCune-Reischauer system.)

Special ranks

These ranks are honorary ranks and are not considered part of the main rank scheme.

North Korean rank	North Korean insignia
대원수 Dae wonsu (Grand Marshal)^{[lower-alpha 1]}
공화국원수 Konghwaguk Wonsu (Marshal of the Republic)^{[lower-alpha 2]}

Officer ranks

The shoulder boards and sleeve stripes of American and South Korean ranks apply only to their navies. Neither the U.S. Marine Corps or ROK Marine Corps maintains a five star "General" rank. North Korea's People's Army does not maintain a separate marine corps or naval infantry branch as part of their armed forces, although it does maintain two "Amphibious Sniper Brigades" as part of the North Korean Special Operation Force (NKSOF). North Korean insignia follow the Soviet pattern, while South Korean insignia follow a mix of United States and British rank insignia traditions.

Army ranks

Equivalent NATO Code

OF-10

OF-9

OF-8

OF-7

OF-6

OF-5

OF-4

OF-3

OF-2

OF-1

OF(D) and Student Officer

North Korea
(Edit)

Generalissimo
(대원수)

Marshal of the DPRK
(공화국원수)

Marshal of the KPA
(인민군원수)

Vice Marshal
(차수)

Army General
(대장)

Colonel General
(상장)

Lieutenant General
(중장)

Major General
(소장)

Senior Colonel
(대좌)

Colonel
(상좌)

Lieutenant Colonel
(중좌)

Major
(소좌)

Captain
(대위)

Senior Lieutenant
(상위)

Lieutenant
(중위)

Junior Lieutenant
(소위)

South Korea
(Edit)

Unknown

Marshal
(원수)

General
(대장)

Lieutenant General
(중장)

Major General
(소장)

Brigadier General
(준장)

Colonel
(대령)

Lieutenant Colonel
(중령)

Major
(소령)

Captain
(대위)

Lieutenant
(중위)

Junior Lieutenant
(소위)

Unknown

United States
(Edit)

Various

Air force ranks

Template:Ranks and Insignia of Non NATO Air Forces/OF/South Korea

Equivalent NATO Code	OF-10	OF-9	OF-8	OF-7	OF-6	OF-5	OF-4	OF-3	OF-2	OF-1		OF(D) and Student Officer
United States (Edit)												Various	Various
United States (Edit)	General of the Air Force¹	General	Lieutenant General	Major General	Brigadier General	Colonel	Lieutenant Colonel	Major	Captain	First Lieutenant	Second Lieutenant	Officer Trainee	Officer Cadet

	Generals				Officers

Ranks in Korean	Taejang 대장	Sangjang 상장	Chungjang 중장	Sojang 소장	Taejwa 대좌	Sangjwa 상좌	Chungjwa 중좌	Sojwa 소좌	Taewi 대위	Sangwi 상위	Chungwi 중위	Sowi 소위
Ranks	General of the Air Force	Colonel General	Lieutenant General	Major General	Brigadier	Colonel	Lieutenant Colonel	Major	Captain	First Lieutenant	Second Lieutenant	Third Lieutenant

Navy ranks

Template:Ranks and Insignia of Non NATO Navies/OF/South Korea

NATO Code	OF-10	OF-9	OF-8	OF-7	OF-6	OF-5	OF-4	OF-3	OF-2	OF-1		OF(D)	Student Officer
United States (Edit)													various
United States (Edit)	Fleet Admiral	Admiral	Vice Admiral	Rear Admiral	Rear Admiral (lower half)	Captain	Commander	Lieutenant Commander	Lieutenant	Lieutenant (junior grade)	Ensign	Midshipman/Officer Candidate	various
United States (Marine Corps) (Edit)	No equivalent												Various
United States (Marine Corps) (Edit)	No equivalent	General	Lieutenant General	Major General	Brigadier General	Colonel	Lieutenant Colonel	Major	Captain	First Lieutenant	Second Lieutenant	Midshipman/Officer Candidate	Various
United States (Coast Guard) (Edit)	No equivalent											No equivalent
United States (Coast Guard) (Edit)	No equivalent	Admiral	Vice Admiral	Rear Admiral	Rear Admiral (lower half)	Captain	Commander	Lieutenant Commander	Lieutenant	Lieutenant (junior grade)	Ensign	No equivalent

	Flag Officers				Officers
	90px	90px	90px	90px	90px	90px	90px	90px	90px	90px	90px	90px
Ranks in Korean	Taejang 대장	Sangjang 상장	Chungjang 중장	Sojang 소장	Taejwa 대좌	Sangjwa 상좌	Chungjwa 중좌	Sojwa 소좌	Taewi 대위	Sangwi 상위	Chungwi 중위	Sowi 소위
Ranks	Fleet Admiral	Admiral	Vice Admiral	Rear Admiral	Commodore	Captain	Commander	Lieutenant Commander	Captain Lieutenant	Lieutenant (Senior Grade)	Lieutenant (Junior Grade)	Ensign

Warrant Officer ranks

Service	W-1	W-5
Army
Marine Corps
Navy	Discontinued 1975
Air Force (Discontinued)
Coast Guard	Discontinued 1975	Established 1994; not implemented

Grade	Rank	Abbreviation	Army	Air Force	Navy
WO	Warrant Officer	WO	South Korea Army warrant officer insignia	South Korea Air Force warrant officer insignia	South Korea Navy warrant officer insignia

Enlisted ranks

Both North Korea and South Korea share the same enlisted rank structure among all of their military branches. They also have enlisted ranks called "Corporal" and "Sergeant" in English, but they are not considered non-commissioned officer ranks, though they are treated as one if they hold an NCO position.

All branches of the South Korean armed forces maintain a single Warrant Officer rank known as Junwi. Warrant Officers fall in between non-commissioned and commissioned officers. The rank is denoted by a gold-colored Sowi insignia and, in the case of the South Korean Navy, a single broken sleeve stripe. The North Korean military does not maintain any equivalent Warrant Officer positions.

Enlisted rank insignia differ however: The ROKAF uses a mix of American, British, and French practice while the KPA's insignia follow Soviet practice.