As part of President Lee Jae-myung's campaign pledge to transition the Republic of Korea Marine Corps (ROKMC) to a "quasi-fourth service" system, the Ministry of National Defense announced on December 31 a roadmap to return operational control to the Marine Corps. Under the plan, the 1st Marine Division, currently under the Army's Second Operational Command, will regain operational control by the end of 2026, while the 2nd Marine Division, under the Army's Capital Corps, will do so by 2028. The move is a follow-up measure to strengthen the independence of the Marine Corps' chain of command.
The National Assembly is also accelerating legislative revisions to elevate the Marine Corps' status. Currently, the Military Organization Act defines the Marine Corps' unique mission solely as "amphibious operations." Lawmakers are pushing to expand the scope to include missions as a national strategic mobile force, rapid response operations, and strategic island defense operations, laying the legal groundwork to support a substantive transition to a four-service system.
The need to strengthen the Marine Corps' status through independence and transition to a quasi-fourth or fourth service system has been raised repeatedly by successive governments. The Lee Myung-bak administration pursued independent personnel and budget authority for the Marine Corps. Notably, the Moon Jae-in administration revised the Military Personnel Management Act in 2019 to establish grounds for the Marine Corps Commandant, a three-star general (lieutenant general), to be promoted to a four-star general (general) after completing his term.
Nevertheless, critics point out that effective policies to strengthen the Marine Corps' status have not been implemented, as the anomalous command structure — under which operational control of the 1st and 2nd Marine Divisions has remained with the Army since 1973 — has not changed. Against this backdrop, President Lee Jae-myung has called for a rapid push to ensure the Marine Corps' independence, making it increasingly likely that the Marine Corps Commandant will be promoted to four-star rank during the current administration's term.
As a result, attention is growing over when a four-star Marine Corps Commandant will emerge.
However, the positions available to a Marine Corps Commandant promoted to four-star rank are limited. The Korean military has eight four-star general positions. These include the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (the top military post), the Chiefs of Staff of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, the Commander of the Army Ground Operations Command, the Commander of the Army Second Operational Command, the Deputy Commander of the Combined Forces Command (CFC), and the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Of these, the positions a Marine Corps Commandant could be appointed to are only Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Deputy Commander of the CFC.
Marine Corps Quietly Eyes CFC Deputy Commander Post
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff advises the Minister of National Defense on military command matters and, under the minister's orders, exercises operational command and supervision over each service's operational units. Many assess that, given the relatively small size of the Marine Corps organization compared to other services, assuming this position remains out of reach for now.
The Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff can be filled not only by a lieutenant general but also by a general. However, with Air Force General Jin Young-seung currently serving as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — the head of the joint force that is the Joint Chiefs of Staff — a Marine Corps general cannot be appointed Vice Chairman during Jin's tenure. The reason lies in Article 19, Paragraph 2 (Rotational Assignment of Commanders of Units Directly Under the Ministry of National Defense) of the Enforcement Decree of the Act on National Defense Reform.
The provision stipulates that commanders and deputy commanders (or chiefs of staff, if no deputy commander exists) of units and organizations directly under the Ministry of National Defense and of joint units led by general officers must, except when deemed necessary for military personnel operations, each be assigned from different services, with one of them required to come from the Army.
The final available position is Deputy Commander of the CFC — a post the Marine Corps quietly desires, drawing on confidence built through long-standing combined training and operations with the U.S. Marine Corps.
The CFC Deputy Commander position has been held by Army four-star generals from the first incumbent through the current 32nd. This was because, prior to the establishment of the Ground Operations Command, the officeholder concurrently served as Commander of the Combined Ground Component Command in wartime. However, since the Ground Operations Command's commander now serves as the Combined Ground Component Commander, a Marine Corps general, if promoted to four-star rank, could also fill the CFC Deputy Commander post. The appointment can be made as long as the president, as commander-in-chief, decides to do so.
"Despite the legal basis, the reason the Marine Corps Commandant has not been appointed to four-star positions such as CFC Deputy Commander is that opposition from parts of the Army seeking to maintain their entrenched interests within the military has been so strong," a government official said. "Given the current atmosphere, with the commander-in-chief and appointing authority showing strong will to elevate the Marine Corps' status, the best option would be for a Marine Corps general to be promoted to four-star rank in the next general officer reshuffle and assume the CFC Deputy Commander post."
