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 forces are responsible for maintaining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the republic, but often engage in humanitarian and disaster-relief efforts nationwide. Several cutting-edge military systems are currently being inducted. The ROK military forces are undergoing rapid modernization in preparation for assuming wartime operational control of the ROK's defenses by December 2015. ROK Reserve Forces (Korean language: 대한민국 예비군Ĭreated 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 3,539,000 in 2012 (639,000 active force and 2,900,000 regular reserve), and additional 300,000 paramilitary.ROK Air Force (Korean language: 대한민국 공군.ROK Marine Corps (Korean language: 대한민국 해병대.The Republic of Korea Armed Forces (Korean language: 대한민국 국군 Hanja 大韓民國國軍 Revised Romanization: Daehanminguk Gukgun), also known as the ROK Armed Forces, are the armed forces of South Korea. ₩1.68 trillion($1 Billion USD) given by Korea to United States Forces Korea Mandatory 18 to 35 years of age for male, wartime conscription 18–45 years of age