South Korea's 2025 defense budget may set a record
2024-09-06
The South Korean Navy's Ulsan class frigate "Busan". According to South Korean media reports, on September 2nd, the South Korean Ministry of National Defense submitted a draft defense budget for 2025 to the National Assembly, with a total budget of 61.59 trillion Korean won (approximately 46.3 billion US dollars), an increase of 3.6% compared to 2024. If approved, it means that South Korea's defense budget has exceeded 60 trillion Korean won for the first time. Against the backdrop of a severe economic situation and reduced fiscal revenue, South Korea has significantly increased its defense budget, reflecting its intention to continue expanding its military and preparing for war. According to reports, for a long time, in countries with lower security threats such as France, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Germany, the proportion of defense budget GDP has been about 1% to 2%; In countries such as Israel and Poland that are in a state of conflict, confrontation, or face more security threats in their surrounding areas, this figure exceeds 3%. In recent years, many countries including the United States, Germany, and France have increased their defense investment despite government budget constraints. Japan also plans to increase its defense budget GDP to 2% by 2027. In this context, South Korea believes that it is necessary to significantly increase its defense budget and accelerate the enhancement of its defense capabilities. In the 2025 national defense budget, 43.52 trillion Korean won will be used for defense operations, a year-on-year increase of 4.2%; 18.07 trillion Korean won will be used to purchase weapons and equipment and enhance defense capabilities, a year-on-year increase of 2.4%. Overall, the focus of South Korea's defense budget is clear. One is to strengthen the capacity building of the "Korean style three-axis system". The "Korean Type Three Axis System" consists of three parts: "kill chain", "Korean Type Missile Defense System", and "large-scale punitive retaliatory operations". In 2025, the South Korean military plans to invest 6.16 trillion Korean won in the "Korean Type Three Axis System", of which 3.2 trillion Korean won will be used to purchase "kill chain" strike platforms such as F-35A stealth fighters, in order to implement the agreement signed between South Korea and the United States in December 2023 to purchase 20 F-35A fighter jets; 1.53 trillion Korean won will be used to develop long-range surface to air missile systems to further improve the 'Korean missile defense system'; 0.62 trillion Korean won will be used for the "large-scale punitive retaliation operations" project, including upgrading special operations helicopters. In addition, it is planned to invest 1 trillion Korean won in the production of domestically produced KF-21 fighter jets to fulfill the contract signed between Korea Aerospace Industries Corporation and the government in June this year to produce 20 KF-21s. The second is to promote the construction of combat forces in multiple fields. The South Korean military will increase investment in multiple fields such as ground, sea, air, space, networks, and electromagnetics, including deploying the "Anti Artillery Positioning Radar-2", 230mm multiple rocket launchers, K-series tanks, and wheeled armored vehicles in the ground field to enhance precision strikes and mobile combat capabilities in deep areas; Deploy Ulsan class frigates, Golden Eagle class fast patrol boats, and attack helicopters in the maritime and landing fields to enhance the long-range, three-dimensional, and high-speed landing combat capabilities of division level troops, and strengthen the fleet's ability to strike ships, air, and ground; In the aerial field, we will promote the deployment of the KF-21 fighter jet in combat and upgrade the technology of the KF-16 and F-15K fighter jets to ensure air superiority and enhance the ability to strike strategic targets. The third is to strengthen the application of artificial intelligence in the field of national defense. The South Korean military is transitioning from a traditional combat style focused on military strength, continuously advancing the deployment of mid to high altitude unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, and strengthening its surveillance capabilities on core targets. At the same time, we will strengthen cutting-edge unmanned systems, including personal battlefield visualization systems, unmanned reconnaissance vehicles, etc., develop artificial intelligence based manned/unmanned integrated combat systems, continuously expand intelligent forces, and extend cutting-edge technology applications to the field of national defense. The fourth is to enhance the national defense research and development capabilities. The South Korean military will further expand investment in technologies such as hypersonic, space, quantum, and unmanned autonomous systems to ensure the possession of weapon systems that can change the concept of future battlefield applications; Continuously cultivating the national defense industry and improving the technological level of military equipment to stimulate military exports. Analysts point out that South Korea, considering the complexity of the future security environment, domestic economic pressure, and reduced military resources, is constantly adjusting the direction and amount of defense funding and developing comprehensive combat capabilities. This may further stimulate tensions on the Korean Peninsula and endanger regional security and stability. (New Society)
Edit：Xiong Dafei Responsible editor：Li Xiang
Source：China Defense News
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