- Byeong
Infobox Korean name
hangul=병
hanja=兵
rr=Byeong
mr=Pyǒng"'Byong"' or "'Byeong"' (Korean: "'병"') is a military term used in the armed forces ofSouth Korea to describe asoldier ,airman ,sailor , or marine who holds a junior enlisted rank.The rank of Byeong is divided into four classes those being:
*
Byeongjang (E-4) 병장/兵長
*Sangbyeong (E-3) or Sangdungbyeong 상병/上兵 or 상등병/上等兵
*Ilbyeong (E-2) or Ildungbyeong 일병/一兵 or 일등병/一等兵
*Ibyeong (E-1) or Idungbyeong 이병/二兵 or 이등병/二等兵The various ranks of "Byeong" are denoted by stripes worn laterally on a service member's left sleeve. An even lower rank, that of "Mudungbyeong", also known as Hulyeonbyeong (Korean: 훈련병,
Hanja : 訓鍊兵), is held by enlistedrecruit s inbasic training and has no established insignia.In most comparative military scales, a "Byeongjang" is considered the equivalent of a
non-commissioned officer equal to aSergeant . The South Korean military, however, does not generally grant NCO powers to a service member until obtaining the rank of "Hasa". Stiil, "Byeongjang" in South Korea is exceptionally considered as NCO when holding the squad leader position.Some ROK Byeongjang who work closely with United States military counterparts are frequently addressed as "Sergeant" or the equivalent E-5 term in English by the US military members. This varies however by unit. In a similar vein, some US E-5 members are called Hasa by the ROK members, as their status is one of NCO.
The
North Korea n equivalent to the rank of "Byeong" is known as "Kǔp".
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