Byeong
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Byeong | |
|---|---|
| Hangul: | 병 |
| Hanja: | 兵 |
| Revised Romanization: | Byeong |
| McCune-Reischauer: | Pyǒng |
Byong or Byeong (Korean 병) is a military term used in the armed forces of South Korea to describe a soldier, 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
- Sangbyeong (E-3) or Sangdungbyeong 상병 or 상등병
- Ilbyeong (E-2) or Ildungbyeong 일병 or 일등병
- Ibyeong (E-1) or Idungbyeong 이병 or 이등병
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), is held by enlisted recruits in basic training and has no established insignia.
In most comparative military scales, a Byeongjang is considered the equivalent of a non-commissioned officer equal to a Sergeant. 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 Korean equivalent to the rank of Byeong is known as Kǔp.
