ROK-US Alliance & Korean Peninsula Military/Political Vocabulary

Comprehensive English-language flashcards defining 350+ key military, diplomatic, and geopolitical terms relevant to the Korean Peninsula, ROK-US alliance, and broader security environment.

The Republic of Korea (ROK)

Official name of South Korea; 대한민국

Alliance

Formal agreement for cooperation and mutual defense; 동맹

ROK-US alliance

Military and political partnership between South Korea and the United States; 한미동맹

Ally

Nation bound by an alliance; 동맹국

Partners

Friendly nations working together; 우방국

NATO

North Atlantic Treaty Organization; 북대서양조약기구

Summit

High-level meeting between heads of state; 정상회담

State visit

Formal visit by a foreign leader as an official guest; 국빈방문

Mutual Defense Treaty

1953 pact committing the U.S. and ROK to defend each other; 상호방위조약

Mutual defense clause

Provision obligating parties to aid each other militarily; 상호방위조항

Future-oriented comprehensive strategic alliance

Vision of an expanded, long-term ROK-US partnership; 미래지향적 포괄적 전략 동맹

United States Forces Korea (USFK)

U.S. troops stationed in South Korea; 주한미군

Presence / Stationing

Continued deployment of forces abroad; 주둔

Camp Humphreys

Largest U.S. overseas base, located in Pyeongtaek; 험프리스 기지

Posture

Overall military stance or disposition; 태세

Preparedness / Readiness

State of being ready for military action; 대비태세

Combat readiness

Ability to engage in battle immediately; 전투준비태세

Fight Tonight

USFK slogan for instant readiness; 즉응태세

We go together!

ROK-US alliance motto (같이 갑시다!);

Exercise / Training / Drill

Planned military practice activity; 훈련

Annual South Korea-U.S. joint exercise

Yearly combined drills such as Ulchi Freedom Shield; 한미 연례 연합 군사연습

Live-fire drill

Training using real ammunition; 실탄 사격 훈련

Command post exercise (CPX)

Staff-level simulation without troop movement; 지휘소 연습

War game

Computer-simulated or tabletop military scenario; 워 게임

Civil defense drill

Nationwide emergency training for civilians; 민방위훈련

Evacuation

Orderly withdrawal of people from danger; 대피

Anti-submarine exercise

Training to detect and counter submarines; 대잠훈련

River-crossing drill

Training to move forces across water obstacles; 도하 훈련

Landing / Amphibious drill

Practice of assaulting from sea to shore; 상륙 훈련

Maneuver

Large-scale movement of troops or equipment; 기동

Combined Forces Command (CFC)

ROK-US binational wartime headquarters; 연합군사령부

Combined

Operations by forces of two or more nations; 연합

Special Measures Agreement (SMA)

Accord on South Korean cost-sharing for USFK; 방위비분담 특별협정

Burden sharing

Division of costs for stationing foreign troops; 방위비 분담금

Free-riding

Gaining security benefits without paying fair share; 무임승차

OPCON transfer

Shift of wartime operational control to ROK; 전작권 이양

Commitment

Pledge or promise, especially of defense; 의지·공약

Wartime operational control (OPCON)

Authority to command forces during war; 전시작전통제권

Ironclad

Absolutely firm or unbreakable (e.g., security commitment); 철통같은

OPLAN 5027

Baseline plan for defense of South Korea; 작전계획 5027

Contingency plan

Preparatory plan for unexpected crises; 우발 계획

Deterrence

Prevention of aggression through threat of retaliation; 억지력

To deter

To discourage hostile action; 억지하다

Extended deterrence

U.S. promise to use nuclear or conventional forces to protect allies; 확장 억지

Nuclear umbrella

Protection provided by a state’s nuclear forces to an ally; 핵우산

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)

Official name of North Korea; 북한

North Korea / The North / Pyongyang

Common English references to DPRK; 북한

Kim Jong-un

North Korean leader, Chairman of State Affairs Commission; 김정은 국무위원장

Xi Jinping

President of the People’s Republic of China; 시진핑

United States / Washington

Official name and capital of the U.S.; 미국

China / Beijing

Country neighboring Korea; 중국

Russia / Moscow

Russian Federation and its capital; 러시아

Ukraine / Kyiv

Eastern European country under invasion; 우크라이나

Regime

Governing system or administration; 정권

System / Regime

Political or social order; 체제

Hereditary

Passed down through family lineage; 세습적인

Provocation

Aggressive action intended to elicit response; 도발

Gray-zone provocation

Coercive act below threshold of open war; 회색지대 도발

Local provocation

Small-scale, localized hostile act; 국지 도발

Provocative rhetoric / Saber rattling

Threatening language to intimidate; 도발적 발언

Military clash / Armed conflict

Exchange of force between opponents; 무력 충돌

Skirmish

Minor or brief armed engagement; 소규모 무력 충돌

All-out war / Full-scale war

General, unrestricted warfare; 전면전

Escalation

Increase in intensity or scope of conflict; 확전

Casualties

Persons killed or injured in conflict; 사상자

Stability in the region

Absence of conflict in a geographic area; 역내 안정

Forward deployment

Stationing forces near potential hotspots; 전진배치

Front-line areas

Positions closest to the enemy; 전방 지역

Front

Line along which opposing forces face each other; 전선

Battlefield

Area where combat is conducted; 전장

Protracted war

Conflict lasting for an extended period; 전쟁의 장기화

Rules of engagement (ROE)

Directive defining when and how force may be used; 교전수칙

Torpedoing of Cheonan

2010 North Korean attack on ROK corvette; 천안함 폭침

Shelling of Yeonpyeong

2010 DPRK artillery attack on island; 연평도 포격

West Sea Defense Day

Korean memorial for naval sacrifices; 서해 수호의 날

Landmine

Explosive device in or on the ground; 지뢰

Precision strike / Surgical strike

Targeted attack minimizing collateral damage; 정밀타격

Preemptive strike

Attack launched to prevent imminent threat; 선제타격

Strike at the origin

Retaliatory attack on source of provocation; 원점타격

Kill Chain

ROK preemptive strike system against missiles; 킬 체인

Korean Air and Missile Defense (KAMD)

ROK layered missile defense program; 한국형 미사일 방어체계

Korea Massive Punishment & Retaliation (KMPR)

ROK strategy for large-scale retaliation; 대량응징보복

3-axis system

Triad of Kill Chain, KAMD, KMPR; 3축 체제

Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)

U.S. missile interceptor system; 사드

Northern Limit Line (NLL)

De facto maritime border in West Sea; 북방한계선

Military demarcation line (MDL)

Land border inside DMZ; 군사분계선

Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)

Buffer strip between the two Koreas; 비무장지대

Korean War

1950-53 conflict between North and South; 한국전쟁

Battle of Chosin Reservoir

Brutal 1950 Korean War battle; 장진호 전투

Hungnam evacuation

1950 withdrawal of UN/ROK forces and refugees; 흥남철수

Truce / Armistice / Cease-fire

Agreement to stop fighting; 휴전

Panmunjom

Truce village in DMZ; 판문점

KIA (Killed in action)

Service members who died in combat; 전사자

MIA (Missing in action)

Personnel unaccounted for after combat; 실종자

To pay tribute

Honor fallen soldiers; 참배하다

Wreath-laying ceremony

Formal act of remembrance with flowers; 헌화식

POWs (Prisoners of war)

Captured combatants; 전쟁포로

Remains

Recovered bodies or bone fragments; 유해

Excavation / Exhumation

Recovery of buried remains; 발굴

Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs

Korean government body for veterans; 국가보훈부