[dayglored]

> To this day, the ROK Army does not use the number four in any of its unit designations.

I seem to recall that in the language, the word for the number "four" sounds similar to the word for "death", and that it is common business practice (a.k.a. superstition) to avoid it, much the way that tall American buildings used to skip the 13th floor. I'm fairly sure that's true in at least one other Oriental language, but the details escape me at the moment.

[dayglored]

>> To this day, the ROK Army does not use the number four in any of its unit designations.

> I seem to recall that in the language, the word for the number "four" sounds similar to the word for "death", and that it is common business practice (a.k.a. superstition) to avoid it, much the way that tall American buildings used to skip the 13th floor. I'm fairly sure that's true in at least one other Oriental language, but the details escape me at the moment.

In Cantonese (Chinese) the number 4 is linked with death and is considered a very unlucky number. Whether that's true in NK, I don't know for sure.

[Stonewall Jackson]

Sorry it took so long to find this information, but I had to read back through my grandfather's notes on the subject. The ROK burned the flag of the 14th Regiment on October 28, 1948 for its shameful conduct in the revolt. They then redesignated all units bearing the number 4, either alone or in combination, and abolished the use of the number in unit designations.

In 1953, General Chang of the ROK stated that the numeral 4 means ill fortune to many Koreans, much as the numeral 13 seems unlucky to many Americans. The Yosu revolt merely proved this to the Koreans, and thereafter 4 was not used as or within a ROK unit designation.

From the Army Historical Series Military Advisors in Korea: KMAG in Peace and War.