320 Non-Commissioned Officers Commissioned in the Army's Backbone

199 New Male Non-Commissioned Officers, 121 Female Non-Commissioned Officers

320 newly appointed Army non-commissioned officers (NCOs) received the rank of Staff Sergeant.

Corporal Gwak Min-jae, who reenlisted as an Army non-commissioned officer after discharge as a Marine Corps sergeant

According to the Army on the 29th, the '23-5th NCO Commissioning Ceremony' was held at the Army NCO Academy located in Iksan, Jeollabuk-do, presided over by Army Chief of Staff Park An-su.

The newly commissioned NCOs consisted of 199 men and 121 women, who completed a 10 to 12-week training course at the Army NCO Academy. The academy invited Korean War veterans residing in the Iksan area to personally pin the rank insignia on the junior soldiers during the commissioning ceremony.

Among those commissioned that day, brothers Kim Dong-hyeok and Kim Jun-hyeok were commissioned as aviation NCOs, following in the footsteps of their father, Sergeant Major Kim Sang-nyeon, who is serving in the Army 2nd Corps Aviation Unit. Sergeant Kwak Min-jae (pictured), who re-commissioned as an Army NCO after being discharged as a Marine Corps Staff Sergeant, has an older sister, Staff Sergeant Kwak Ye-bin, and brother-in-law, Staff Sergeant Ham Young-chan, both currently serving as Army NCOs. Staff Sergeant Lee Jung-jae’s maternal grandfather and grandmother are both Korean War veterans. The 320 newly commissioned NCOs will undergo additional specialized training by branch before being assigned to units in both the front and rear areas.

In his congratulatory speech, Chief of Staff Park said, "NCOs are the core of frontline combat power and the backbone of the Army’s combat capability, ultimately driving victory. The Army will strive to enhance NCO capabilities, improve personnel management and education systems, and develop policies and institutions to ensure that NCOs, as combat experts leading future battlefields, receive job security and appropriate recognition for their dedication."