CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — South Korea will spend more on its military in the year ahead than it ever has before. The country’s defense budget is set to rise 8.2%, after government leaders announced the increased expenditure on Sept. 3.
The boosted defense spending of KRW 73.28 trillion – around $53.9 billion – comes amid deepening security concerns about North Korea, China and Russia.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s irascibility is also encouraging Seoul into greater self-reliance.
Trump posted on social media in August that – based on his good relationship with Kim Jong-un and since Pyongyang had been “unthreatening and respectful” – planned military exercises with South Korea would be scaled back because they were “totally inappropriate and hostile.”
Announcing the new budget, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) stated the spending plan “focuses on strengthening our military’s self-defense capabilities in response to the rapidly changing security environment and reduction of military service resources, and to transition from a troop-centered to a high-tech-oriented military.”
The MND outlined eight major priorities for spending.
The first is a self-reliant, Korean-led capability. As such, funding that will help prepare for the transfer of wartime operational control from the United States is up 35%. The goal is to complete the OPCON transition by 2029, meaning Seoul would command its own and American troops in the event of a conflict on the Peninsula.
This requires enhanced capabilities to detect and respond to Pyongyang’s threats, especially its nuclear and missile capabilities.
Command-and-control capabilities are slated to be enhanced by a new wartime military information distribution system destined for the joint Combined Forces Command.
A sticking point for South Korea’s conscription-reliant military is its aging population. To mitigate a shrinking recruit pool, Seoul is strengthening its reserves and outsourcing some noncombat duties to the private sector.
Seoul will put its eggs in the basket of unmanned technologies too.
Spending on artificial intelligence and unmanned ground monitoring systems increases. Similarly, the MND will “use drones as the main fighting vehicle for our military,” with this budget up almost 20% from last year.
Thus, it will bulk up on drone swarms, reconnaissance drones, various loitering munitions and an overarching counter-drone system. It will also train half a million “drone warriors.”
Other priorities highlighted in the budget are improved welfare, pay and housing.
The government will also invest more in future defense technologies to boost sovereignty and high-tech industry. Specific areas include semiconductors, aviation propulsion, hard-kill lasers and quantum technologies.
The government also wants to support the entry and growth of small and medium-sized enterprises, including heightened export prospects.
Big-ticket items listed by name include the long-range L-SAM air defense system and MUAV medium-altitude reconnaissance drones. Significant money will also go on the KF-21 Boramae fighter, its allocation up nearly 2.5 times to KRW 3.3 trillion.
Production of the first production KF-21s is already under way.
Another area of investment is nuclear-powered submarines, with nearly KRW 100 billion allocated here as the program gathers pace.
Trump pressed Seoul to raise defense spending to 3.5% of GDP, but the current budget – despite the record amount – currently represents just 2.33%.
