| 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:
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, Hanja: 訓鍊兵), 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". Still, "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".