Wonsu
{{korean name image hanja|image=
|hangul=원수|hanja=元帥|rr=Wonsu|mr=Wŏnsu|A
Wonsu is the highest
military rank of the
Republic of Korea (ROK) armed forces and is the combined equivalent of a
General of the Army,
Fleet Admiral and
General of the Air Force in other nations. The rank exists on paper only, and has never been held by an officer of the South Korean Armed Forces. It is theorized that the rank could be bestowed in the event of another major war; however, such a rank would only be issued in the event of a prolonged conflict.
The South Korean rank insignia for Wonsu is heavily influenced by United States military insignia, in that a five star pentagon design is used very similar to the U.S. rank of
General of the Army.
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North Korean Wonsu badge |
The rank of Wonsu may also be found in the
military of North Korea where it is held by senior Generals of the North Korean Army. A
North Korean Wonsu is rated above a
Field Marshal position known as
Chasu with the North Korean Wonsu considered the equivalent of a six star general.
An even higher rank, that of
Dae Wonsu may be held by the commander-in-chief of the entire North Korean military.
Kim Il-Sung once held this supreme rank as dictator of North Korea.
Coincidentally, "wonsu" is also a word meaning "enemy" in South Korea. The two words have different
etymologies and completely different
hanja, but are
homophonous and so are written identically in
hangul. This is not the case in North Korea, where the government has addressed the issue by changing the word for enemy to "wonssu" (원쑤).
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