United States Forces Korea United States Forces Korea ( USFK ) , also known as Headquarters , U . S . Forces Korea ( USFK ) , was established on July 1 , 1957 as a subordinate - unified command of U . S . Pacific Command ( USPACOM ) . USFK is the joint headquarters through which U . S . combat forces would be sent to the South Korea / US ( ROK / U . S . ) Combined Forces Command ’ s ( CFC ) fighting components – the combined ground , air , naval , marine and special operations forces component commands . Major USFK elements include Eighth U . S . Army ( EUSA ) , U . S . Air Forces Korea ( Seventh Air Force ) US Naval Forces Korea ( CNFK ) , Marine Forces Korea ( MARFORK ) , and Special Operations Command Korea ( SOCKOR ) . USFK has Title 10 authority , which means that USFK is responsible for organizing , training and equipping U . S . forces on the Korean Peninsula so that forces are agile , adaptable and ready . With 28 , 500 American soldiers , sailors , airmen , and Marines in South Korea , U . S . forces in South Korea are a forward presence in the region and a key manifestation of the U . S . government ’ s rebalance toward the Asia - Pacific . Given the threat that North Korea poses to South Korea and the region , the USFK mission also includes planning noncombatant evacuation operations to ensure that if the need arises , U . S . and other previously agreed upon countries citizens are removed from harm ’ s way . To this end , USFK conducts routine exercises to ensure that this process is effective , efficient , and orderly . Shoulder sleeve insignia . Description . A shield - shaped embroidered device 3 1 / 8 inches ( 7 . 94 cm ) in height and 2 1 / 2 inches ( 6 . 35 cm ) in width overall blazoned : Azure , in chief four mullets bendwise Argent , all above a stylized American Bald Eagle , issuant from sinister base volant to dexter chief ; the eagle ’ s body Gules surmounted by two bendlets , wider at base , of the second throughout ; head of the second , eyed of the field , leg and talons of the second grasping a laurel branch and seven arrows Or . The entire shield shape is edged with a 1 / 16 ( . 16 cm ) White border . Attached above the device is a designation band in Scarlet inscribed “ USFK ” in White letters . The entire device is edged with a 1 / 8 inch ( . 32 cm ) Blue border . Symbolism . The shield shape reflects the United States Forces Korea ’ s steadfast commitment to defend the sovereignty of South Korea . The abbreviation “ USFK ” stands for United States Forces Korea which activated on 1 July 1957 . The four stars symbolize the service and contributions of the United States army , United States Navy , United States Air Force , and the United States Marine Corps . The stylized American Bald Eagle represents cohesion and unity among the services . The laurel sprigs and arrows depict the mission of the United States Forces Korea to defeat aggression if necessary . Red , white , and blue are the colors of the flag of the United States of America . Red symbolizes hard work and honor , white represents innocence and purity , and blue refers to justice and perseverance . Yellow signifies wisdom and intuition Background . The shoulder sleeve insignia was approved on 18 June 2012 . ( TIOH Dwg . No . A - 1 - 1077 ) . Mission . Support the United Nations Command and Combined Forces Command by coordinating and planning among US component commands ; and exercise operational control of US forces as directed by US Pacific Command . United Nations Command and Combined Forces Command . While USFK is a separate organization from United Nations Command ( UNC ) and CFC , its mission is to support both UNC and CFC by coordinating and planning among US component commands and providing US supporting forces to the CFC . As such , USFK continues to support the ROK - US Mutual Defense Treaty . In response to the North Korean attack against South Korea on June 25 , 1950 , the United Nations Security Council ( UNSC ) established the UNC as a unified command under the US in UNSC Resolution 84 on July 7 , 1950 . The UNC mission was to assist South Korea to repel the attack and restore international peace and security in Korea . Throughout the war , 53 nations provided support to the UNC ; 16 nations provided combat forces and five sent medical and hospital units . After three years of hostilities , the commanders of both sides signed the Armistice Agreement on July 27 , 1953 . Hostilities today are also deterred by this bi - national defense team that evolved from the multi - national UNC . Established on November 7 , 1978 , CFC is the warfighting headquarters . Its role is to deter , or defeat if necessary , outside aggression against the ROK . To accomplish that mission , the CFC has operational control over more than 600 , 000 active - duty military personnel of all services , of both countries . In wartime , augmentation could include some 3 . 5 million ROK reservists as well as additional US forces deployed from outside the ROK . If North Korea attacked , the CFC would provide a coordinated defense through its Air , Ground , Naval and Combined Marine Forces Component Commands and the Combined Unconventional Warfare Task Force . In - country and augmentation US forces would be provided to the CFC for employment by the respective combat component . The transfer of wartime control of the defense of South Korea to the South Korean government has been delayed many times with another reconsideration of the current December 2015 target date scheduled for early 2014 . North Korean threat . Kim Jong - un is the unchallenged leader of North Korea following his elections as First Chairman of the National Defense Commission ( NDC ) , Supreme Commander of the Korean People ’ s Army ( KPA ) , and First Secretary of the Korean Worker ’ s Party ( KWP ) . Kim has focused on strengthening the KWP control over the government including the military . His domestic agenda has centered on revitalizing the economy and expanding education while his international focus has been on luring foreign investment , seeking international acceptance of North Korea as a nuclear state , and legitimizing his ballistic missile program . Kim is portrayed in North Korean media as a wise , caring , and natural leader similar to his grandfather , Kim Il - Sung , the nation ’ s founder . Although North Korean conventional capabilities continue to slowly erode due to shortfalls in equipment modernization and advanced training , they remain dangerous . Asymmetric capabilities . North Korea continues to focus on asymmetric capabilities with deployments and development of new ballistic missile systems and increased emphasis on specialized light infantry / special operations forces . North Korea has a sizeable stockpile of chemical weapons with a full range of chemical agents , including nerve , blister , choking , and blood agents . It also has a biological warfare capability and possesses biological warfare production and dispensing technology . North Korea would likely use chemical weapons in a major conflict ; additionally , it has sufficient quantities of chemical munitions for an extended campaign . More importantly , North Korea views its ballistic missile programs as a source of international power and prestige , strategic deterrent , means of exerting regional and international influence , and a source of hard currency for export . Despite severe fiscal difficulties , it commits significant resources to develop and produce ballistic missiles for both deployment within North Korea and for export . Exports have been hampered due to sanctions and a weak global economy . Kim Jong - un has clearly communicated intent to continue with ballistic missile testing , however the time line on future tests remain unclear . Following the passage of United Nations Security Council Resolution ( UNSCR ) 2087 Jan . 22 , 2013 , and UNSCR 2094 March 8 , 2013 , North Korea has indicated in multiple statements that it intends to bolster its strategic missile deterrent . The North Korean Foreign Ministry , NDC , KWP , and media commentaries have indicated intentions to launch multiple satellites , long - range rockets , and conduct high - level , nuclear tests . Furthermore , North Korea continues to focus on the development of its nuclear capabilities . While we assess North Korea now has several plutonium - based nuclear weapons , the development of a uranium enrichment capability could enable North Korea to produce weapons - grade uranium to support its nuclear weapons program . Although North Korea ’ s nuclear weapons capability is undetermined , even modest achievements could mean a more destructive capability . Concerning international cooperation , North Korea and Iran have agreed to strengthen strategic projects between the two countries , including development of nuclear program and ballistic missiles . North Korea is also developing formidable cyber capabilities . It has been assessed that it is conducting attacks against ROK and U . S . networks , and it continues a robust training program for cyber hackers . Additionally , North Korea has one of the world ’ s largest Special Operations Forces ( SOF ) . Approximately 60 , 000 SOF are prepared to infiltrate the ROK by ground , air , and sea . It maintains an additional 130 , 000 SOF light infantry forces capable of conducting limited asymmetric operations . In 2012 , North Korea completed construction on a naval base at Koampo , approximately 60 kilometers from the ROK ’ s Northwest Islands on the west coast . This base can accommodate up to 70 of North Korea ’ s hovercraft putting them approximately 30 minutes travel distance from the Northwest Islands . Despite these capabilities , North Korea ’ s military lags considerably behind Combined Forces Command ’ s advantage in technological and combined / joint capabilities . However it is still capable of offensive operations and threatens Seoul with a multitude of artillery , rocket , and missile systems . It continues improving asymmetric capabilities , with emphasis on missiles and light infantry forces , but because its ability to wage conventional war has declined over the past two decades due to a lack of resources , the regime recognizes it is not capable of prosecuting a successful reunification by force . History . The following is a partial list of border incidents involving North Korea since the of July 27 , 1953 , ended large scale military action of the Korean War . Most of these incidents took place near either the Korean Demilitarized Zone or the Northern Limit Line . This list includes engagements on land , air , and sea , but does not include alleged incursions and terrorist incidents that occurred away from the border . Many of the incidents occurring at sea are due to border disputes . The North claims jurisdiction over a large area south of the disputed western maritime border , the Northern Limit Line in the waters west of the Korean Peninsula . This is a prime fishing area , particularly for crabs , and clashes commonly occur . In addition , the North claims its territorial waters extend for from the coast , rather than the recognized by other countries . According to the 5 January 2011 " Korea Herald " , since July 1953 North Korea has violated the armistice 221 times , including 26 military attacks . The 1980s marked a surge in Anti - Americanism in Korea , widely traced to the events of May 1980 . Gwangju convinced a new generation of young [ Koreans ] that the democratic movement had developed not with the support of Washington , as an older generation of more conservative Koreans thought , but in the face of daily American support for any dictator who could quell the democratic aspirations of the Korean people . The result was an anti - American movement in the 1980s that threatened to bring down the whole structure of American support for the ROK . American cultural centers were burned to the ground ( more than once in Gwangju ) ; students immolated themselves in protest of Reagan ' s support for Chun . Fundamental to this movement was a perception of U . S . complicity in Chun ' s rise to power , and , more particularly , in the Gwangju massacre itself . These matters remain controversial . It is clear , for example , that the U . S . authorized the Korean Army ' s 20th Division to re - take Gwangju – as acknowledged in a 1982 letter to the New York Times by then - Ambassador Gleysteen . [ General Wickham ] , with my concurrence , permitted transfer of well - trained troops of the twentieth R . O . K . A . Division from martial - law duty in Seoul to Gwangju because law and order had to be restored in a situation that had run amok following the outrageous behavior of the Korean Special Forces , which had never been under General Wickham ' s command . However , as Gwangju Uprising editors Scott - Stokes and Lee note , whether the expulsion of government troops left the situation lawless or " amok " is very much open to dispute . Exercises . Each year the ROK , the US and a selection of Sending States from the United Nations Command participate in multiple defense - oriented , combined and joint training events designed to defend the Republic of Korea , protect the region , and maintain and increase stability on the Korean peninsula . Ulchi Freedom Guardian , Key Resolve , and Foal Eagle , in addition to multiple Rehearsal of Concept ( ROC ) Drills , are the three theater level exercises .