Update: South Korea sets up new ground command

The Republic of Korea Army (RoKA) has created a new command as part of the government’s Defense Reform 2.0 initiative aimed at developing a more streamlined but technologically advanced military.

President Moon Jae-in (R) presents General Kim Un-yong with the guidon of the newly established Ground Operation Command in a ceremony held on 8 January at South Korea’s presidential office. (Cheong Wa Dae)

In a ceremony held on 8 January South Korean President Moon Jae-in officially launched the new structure – called the Ground Operation Command (GOC) – which combines what used to be the RoKA’s First and Third Army commands.

General Kim Un-yong, who used to command the Third Army, was appointed chief of the new structure, according to a statement by South Korea’s presidential office, which is also known as Cheong Wa Dae.

A day later South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo took part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at GOC headquarters in Yongin, just south of Seoul, where he said that the new command will play a key role in the future alliance with the US and spearhead “all joint and combined operations” on the ground, according to the Yonhap News Agency.

In the event of a war on the Korean Peninsula, the GOC, which is also a major component of South Korea's preparations to regain wartime operational control (OPCON) from the US, will play a role as the Ground Component Command in charge of ground combat operations, Yonhap reported, adding that the GOC now commands seven regional corps and one expeditionary corps, as well as a logistical support command, an artillery bridge, and an intelligence unit.