#### 2012 DEFENSE ###### WHITE PAPER ----- **Message from** **the Minister of National Defense** The Republic of Korea today is enjoying a period of prosperity that is unprecedented throughout our history. Rising from the ruins of the Korean War, Korea has grown to become one of the world’s leading economic powers in less than 60 years. The success of the recent G-20 and Nuclear Security Summits hosted by the Republic of Korea (ROK) served to elevate the ROK’s stature within the international community. The ROK Armed Forces have supported such growth by guaranteeing the continuation of unequivocal security. However, challenges that pose threats to our national security are likely to further increase. While the issues of territorial sovereignty, religion, natural resources, and ethnicity are constant sources of potential regional disputes, non-military and transnational threats such as terrorism and cyber-attacks are ever increasing. Additionally, the current global economic crisis is complicating the security environment even further. Although Northeast Asia is emerging as the political and economic center of the world in the 21[st] century, tensions in the region are increasing over disparate interpretations of history, and sovereignty over islands and territorial waters. Despite chronic economic crises and food shortages, North Korea is relentlessly pursuing nuclear and missile development while maintaining an adversarial strategy towards the ROK. It is highly likely that the security environment of the Korean Peninsula, Northeast Asia, and the world will rapidly change over the next few years. It will be an important period in which the whole nation must come together to forge a staunch security posture. Our Armed Forces are striving to transform into an ‘Advanced Elite Military’ in order to continuously safeguard the security and prosperity of the ROK. In response to North Korea’s armed provocations against the ROK Ship Cheonan, and Yeonpyeongdo (Island), our Armed Forces are being transformed into a ‘combat mission-oriented advanced military’ following a comprehensive review of our security posture. We will eliminate the enemy’s will to carry out provocations through a concept of active deterrence, and in the event of provocation, our security posture will allow us to conduct swift, accurate, and thorough response within our sovereign rights of self-defense. Furthermore, we have established a new Northwest Islands Defense Command to enhance our military response capabilities pertaining to the Northwestern Islands region. We have also established the ROK Cyberspace Command, which has significantly strengthened our ability to conduct counter cyber warfare. We have also continued to revise and develop our ‘Defense Reform Basic Plan’ to realize our vision for a multi-functional and highly efficient form of national defense. Furthermore, in advance of the transition of wartime operational control in 2015, we are making every effort to secure the key assets that would permit our Armed Forces to lead theater operations on the Korean Peninsula. We have reinforced the correct perception of our enemy and the esprit de corps of our service members by strengthening our education programs. We have established an environment of complete dedication to combat and training by improving our education system for new recruits, instituting an overall evaluation system for officer and non commissioned officer (NCO) candidates and strengthening the intensity of tactical exercises ----- undertaken by individual military units. We have also laid the groundwork for enhancing our joint capabilities by establishing the Joint Forces Military University, as well as implementing a common curriculum across the three service academies. Furthermore, we are continuing to improve active duty service conditions for our service members by promoting a culture of ‘autonomy and responsibility’ within military confines, while simultaneously reforming the armed services medical system. We are also endeavoring to provide our service members with the suitable conditions for the pursuit of self-development, while they are on active duty. During the past five years, the ROK and the United States have fortified our military alliance. We created a new ‘Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD)’ to enhance the efficiency of our security consultative apparatus. Furthermore, to counter North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats, we have continued to develop an effective extended deterrence strategy and policies designed to bolster precision strike capabilities. Through the expansion of global peacekeeping activities, the ROK Armed Forces are fulfilling our responsi bility to the international community on a level that is befitting our national power. In the process, we are enhancing our global stature as a defender of world peace. Following the deployment of the Dongmyeong Unit to Lebanon, the Cheonghae Unit to the Gulf of Aden, the Ashena Unit to Afghanistan, the Danbi Unit to Haiti, and the Akh Unit to the United Arab Emirates, we are planning to deploy a peacekeeping unit to South Sudan. The 2012 Defense White Paper is a representation of the direction of the ROK’s defense policy, its current status, and the MND’s plans for realizing our national security strategy. In particular, the publication contains detailed assessments of North Korea’s threat and the readiness posture of our Armed Forces. It also contains a description of our efforts to transform into a combat-centric elite military. The history of the ROK-U.S. alliance, the peacekeeping efforts of our Armed Forces, and a variety of other defense-related materials can be found in the appendix. As the guardian of the ROK and as a global military force, our Armed Forces will strive to become a combat mission-oriented advanced military that upholds peace on the Korean Peninsula, and contributes to similar efforts on the international stage. Your continued support to the ROK Armed Forces would be greatly appreciated. December 11, 2012 Kim, Kwan Jin Minister of National Defense, Republic of Korea ----- 2012 **DEFENSE** WHITE PAPER **Contents** Chapter **1** Changes in Security Environment and Challenges Ahead Section 1 Global Security Environment Section 2 Security Environment of Northeast Asia Section 3 North Korean Situation and Military Threats 14 24 40 43 52 63 67 74 82 90 110 126 134 Chapter **2** National Security Strategy and Defense Policy Section 1 National Security Strategy Section 2 National Defense Policy Chapter **3** Defense Posture for Comprehensive Security Section 1 Robust Military Readiness Posture Section 2 Integrated Civilian-Government-Military-Police Defense Posture Section 3 Development of a Readiness Posture against Transnational and Non-military Threats Chapter **4** Development of the ROK-U.S. Alliance and Expansion of Defense Diplomacy and Cooperation Section 1 Development of a Future-oriented ROK-U.S. Alliance Section 2 Wartime OPCON Transition and Building a New Combined Defense System Section 3 Expansion of Defense Diplomacy and Cooperation Section 4 Contributions to International Peacekeeping Operations Chapter **5** Military Support for the Development of Inter-Korean Relationship Section 1 Inter-Korean Military Confidence Building and Arms Control Section 2 Repatriation of ROK POWs and South-North Joint Remains Recovery ----- Chapter **6** Establishing Advanced Military Capabilities Section 1 National Defense Reform to Establish a Multi-functional and Highly Efficient National Defense System Section 2 Reorganizing the Military into a Tailored Structure Section 3 Reforming the Force Structure for Efficiency Section 4 Raising the Standard of the Reserve Forces Section 5 Establishing a Defense Informatization Environment and Enhancing the Capabilities to Counter Cyber Threats Chapter **7** Building a Combat Mission Focused Advanced Military Section 1 Reinforcing Mental Strength Education for Service Members and Patriotism Promoting Activities for Citizens Section 2 Improving the Education System to Cultivate Competent Cadres Section 3 Realistic Training and Education to Build a Combat-Oriented Military Section 4 Developing the Operations and Management System of the Defense Workforce **Appendix** Special Appendix 1. Past, Present, and Future of the ROK-U.S. Alliance 2. 20 Years of ROK Armed Forces Overseas Deployment: History and Accomplishment 3. Status of Nations that Supported the ROK during the Korean War Appendix 1. Status of Neighboring Countries’ Military Strength 2. Comparison of Major Countries’ Defense Budgets 3. Comparison of the Military Strength of the Two Koreas 4. Comparison of the Economic Indicators between South and North Koreas 5. Negotiation Process in North Korea’s Nuclear Program 6. Progress of North Korea’s Missile Development Program and Descriptions 7. Chronology of South-North Military Talks 8. Chronicles of Military Relations between South and North Korea 9. Chronicles of North Korean Intrusions and Local Provocations to South Korea 10. Status of Dispatch of ROK Troops Overseas 11. Budget for ROK Military Units Dispatched Overseas 12. JOINT COMMUNIQUÉ The 43[rd] U.S.-ROK Security Consultative Meeting 13. JOINT COMMUNIQUÉ The 44[th] U.S.-ROK Security Consultative Meeting 14. Major International Arms Control Agreements and Organizations 15. National Defense Organizations 16. Annual Defense Budgets 17. Status of Defense Industrial Cooperation Agreements with Other Countries 18. Changes in Compulsory Military Service Period 19. Alternatives to Military Service 20. Combined/Joint Military Exercises and Training 21. Composition and Major Activities of the National Defense Committee of the National Assembly 22. Modification of Laws and Regulations under the Jurisdiction of the Ministry of National Defense 142 147 153 159 168 178 182 188 200 218 227 231 235 245 254 270 274 280 285 290 307 332 340 346 350 352 353 354 354 356 357 362 374 378 379 380 384 388 391 393 394 395 396 397 399 402 Chapter **8** Enhancing the Efficiency of National Defense Management Section 1 Enhancing the Efficiency of National Defense Budget Management Section 2 Enhancing Fairness and Transparency of Weapons System Acquisition Section 3 Optimizing Defense Resources through the Use of Private Sectors Section 4 Enhancing the Efficiency of National Defense Resource Management Section 5 Developing the Defense Economy in Support of the National Economy Chapter **9** Improving Working Conditions for Service Members Section 1 Improvements in Welfare Section 2 Modernization of Military Housing Section 3 Innovation in the Medical System Section 4 Advancement of Military Culture Section 5 Ensuring a Productive Working Environment Chapter **10** The Armed Forces Serving the Public Section 1 Enhancing the Public’s Rights and Benefits Section 2 Enhancing Communication with the Public through Policies Focused on Daily Life ----- ----- ##### Chapter 1 **Changes in Security** **Environment and** **Challenges Ahead** Section 1 Global Security Environment Section 2 Security Environment of Northeast Asia Section 3 North Korean Situation and Military Threats 14 24 ----- **Global Security Environment** Today’s global security environment is becoming ever more complex with the continued presence of traditional military threats coupled with an increase of transnational and non-military threats, against the backdrop of a prolonged global economic downturn. In such an environment, states are strengthening their national security while simultaneously supporting international efforts towards peace and stability. In fact, they are cooperating with other states but at the same time treating them as competitors. **1. International Security Threats** Although the threat of a large-scale war has diminished since the end of the Cold War, traditional sources of conflict such as territorial disputes, competition for natural resources, religious and ethnic conflicts, and separatist and irredentist movements persist, posing a serious threat to global security. In addition, transnational and non-military threats such as the proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), terrorism, cyber terrorism, piracy, and environmental disasters continue to increase, adding to the complexity of the international security environment already plagued by a global economic downturn. The Middle East has become a world’s figurative powderkeg with its various conflicts and disputes. Even though the United States completed the withdrawal of its troop from Iraq in 2011, and is in the process of doing the same in Afghanistan by 2014, it is continuing its ‘war on terror’ against Al Qaeda. Despite the best efforts of the international community to mediate, Israel launched offensives on Gaza in March and November of 2012, amidst the continuing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Moreover, **Section** # 1 **Major regions of conflict** Syria Afghanistan Israel Sudan Somalia South Sudan ----- tensions are rising over the development of Iran’s nuclear program and Israel’s potential response. Meanwhile, the pro-democracy movements that emanated from Tunisia in December 2010 and swept through the Middle East and North Africa have become another key security issue for the international community. Depending on how these movements in the Middle East develop, the potential for regional instability and the involvement of the international community cannot be ruled out. Various forms of conflicts exist in Africa – conflicts arising from competition for natural resources and territory, conflicts along religious and ethnic lines, as well as civil strife related to the movements for democracy. The conflict between Somali government troops and Al Qaeda-backed rebels that began in January 2009 continues to this day. The prolonged civil war in Sudan that had been fought on religious and ethnic grounds has evolved into a war over oil and territory between Sudan and South Sudan since the latter’s independence in July 2011. Although relations between Sudan and South Sudan are progressing towards normalization with both countries accepting a peace proposal put forth by the international community in September 2012, the situation may deteriorate in the future if covenants are not kept. Despite financial pressures, countries in Asia continue to increase their military strength to counter potential threats, while maritime territorial disputes over islets between the major Asian powers are intensifying. In addition, international competition over natural resources is emerging as a new variable in the global security environment. A variety of transnational and non-military threats are also continuing to increase, posing a major threat to international security. In addition, certain states including North Korea and Iran are threatening international peace and security by continuing to develop nuclear capabilities and long-range missiles. In particular, the proliferation of WMD and long-range missiles pose a significant threat to the global security environment given the increased likelihood that terrorist organi zations such as Al Qaeda may gain access to WMD-related technologies and materials through international black markets. The threat of terrorism is also increasing. The methods of terrorist attack are becoming more formidable, while the damage caused by random ----- attacks on unspecified targets is becoming more devastating. Terrorist acts are being perpetrated by international groups such as Al Qaeda as well as by home-grown armed groups.[1] Advancements in information technology are leading to various forms of cyber terrorism[2] whose resultant damage is rapidly increasing in magnitude. Cyber attacks are emerging as a new security threat as the entities that carry them out are becoming more organized, targeting national security related agencies and key national information networks. Securing sea lanes has become another security issue due to the increase in pirate activities. According to the International Maritime Organization, pirate activities worldwide increased by 11.3 percent from a total of 489 in 2010 to 544 in 2011. Large-scale natural disasters, such as the 2011 major earthquake and tsunami in Japan, as well as the severe floodings in Bangkok, Thailand, have also emerged as a new security issue requiring joint action by the international community. In particular, the radiation leak from the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan highlighted the importance of nuclear plant safety as well as the serious consequences of accidents at nuclear power plants. As such, this issue was discussed as a key topic during the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit. Moreover, anxiety over the global economic crisis is increasing as the financial crisis that began in the United States spilled over to Europe. Although it is unlikely that such a global economic crisis will pose a direct threat to global security, it nevertheless complicates the global security environment in that it could exacerbate elements of conflict, and bring about a change to the international economic order and the regional security structure. **2. Efforts of the International Community to build Peace** **and Stability** Some of the major threats to global peace and stability today include the development of nuclear capabilities and long-range missiles by Iran and North Korea, terrorism, regional instability in the Middle East and Africa, pirate activities in the major sea lanes, cyber attacks, and large scale **1. Recent Major Terrorist Bombings** Alexandria, Egypt (January 2011) Mumbai, India (July 2011) Oslo, Norway (July 2011) Yala and Haad Yai, Thailand (March 2012) Kano, Nigeria (April 2012) **2. Various Forms of Cyber Terrorism** Hacking, DDoS attacks, denials of service, logic bombs, Trojan horses, Worm viruses, HERF guns etc. ----- natural disasters. There are challenges to resolving these threats through traditional means as they are intertwined with a combination of issues involving regions, ethnicities, religions, and ideologies. Therefore, a close cooperation and response by the international community and interna tional organizations is required. The development of nuclear capabilities and long-range missiles by Iran and North Korea threatens not only regional security, but global peace and security as well. While maintaining close cooperation, the international community is combining negotiations with sanctions in order to prevent Iran’s nuclear development. Meanwhile, in April 2012, North Korea test-launched a long-range missile, in violation of the UN Security Council Resolutions 1718 and 1874 that prohibit North Korea from developing nuclear weapons and launching ballistic missiles and satellites. In response, the UN Security Council issued a presidential statement condemning North Korea’s actions. The Nuclear Security Summit has been held since 2010 as the threat of nuclear proliferation and nuclear terrorism increased. At the Nuclear Security Summit, a wide array of issues that go beyond the prevention of threats of nuclear terrorism, such as the prevention of illegal trade of nuclear materials, the protection of nuclear material and facilities, as well as nuclear power safety, are discussed, and a consensus is being expanded on these issues. The Nuclear Security Summit was first held in Washington D.C. in 2010 with the goal of creating a safer and more peaceful world free from nuclear terrorism. The second Nuclear Security Summit[3] was held in Seoul in March 2012, with 53 states participating. The Seoul Communiqué adopted at the conclusion of the Summit outlined the responsibilities of each state to uphold nuclear security in order to prevent nuclear and radiological terrorism, the need for international cooperation, the voluntary efforts of each state to minimize nuclear material, the role of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and the correlation between nuclear security and atomic energy safety. The United States and many other states are continuing the ‘war on terror’ against Al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan through the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)[4] under North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and in conjunction with local Afghan forces. By eliminating Osama Bin Laden, the leader of Al Qaeda, in May 2011, **3. The Seoul Nuclear Security** **Summit [(]26−27 March 2012[)]** 10,000 attendees including the heads of 53 countries and 4 international organizations (58 in total), as well as their staffs. President Lee Myung-bak held 26 summit talks with the heads of 24 countries and 2 international organizations. **4. International Security Assistance** **Force [(]ISAF[)]** Multinational force formed in accordance with a UN Security Council resolution to assist Afghanistan in maintaining internal security and carrying out post-war reconstruction efforts. ----- the Obama administration of the United States has weakened the Al Qaeda forces but at the same time is pursuing a peaceful resolution through negotiations with the Taliban. As a result of these efforts, the United States announced its plans to withdraw troops from Afghanistan in June 2011. Following this announcement, other key allies within ISAF have announced similar plans to withdraw their troops, while discussions on transferring the responsibilities for internal security to the Afghanistan government by 2014, as well as providing further assistance continue. Since July 2010, the Republic of Korea (ROK) government has been assisting in post-war reconstruction of Afghanistan by deploying a Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT), while the ROK Ashena unit carries out protection missions for the base and the PRT. The Middle East pro-democracy movements that began in Tunisia have brought down the dictatorial regime of not only Tunisia, but of Yemen, Egypt, and Libya as well. In particular, the collapse of the Gaddafi regime in Libya was not only a result of popular resistance within the country, but also of the United Nations Security Council’s resolve to intervene militarily, and of the NATO’s political and military assistance. Moreover, the United Nations, the Arab League, Russia, China, the EU, and other key countries and international organizations have been cooperating to resolve the crisis in Syria, which began in March 2011. The United Nations Security Council dispatched a special envoy to Syria to press the government to cease the bloodshed. The international community is pressuring the Syrian government for a peaceful solution by employing diplomatic means and leaving open the possibility of a military intervention. In Africa, the 50-year war in Sudan ended with South Sudan declaring independence from Sudan, and joining the UN as its 193[rd] member on 14 July 2011. This came about as a result of mediation efforts by the African Union (AU) and the United Nations. Although conflict between Sudan and South Sudan continued over oil and territory, both countries agreed to a peace compromise proposed by the international community in September 2012. The ROK government initiated steps to deploy peacekeeping troops to South Sudan, and the National Assembly approved the government’s plan to deploy the UN South Sudan Mission in September 2012. ----- The EU, NATO, and the international community are responding to piracy in Somali waters by operating a multinational navy. The ROK government, since March 2009, has been contributing to the effort to secure the safety of sea channels by deploying the ROK navy’s Cheonghae Unit to Somali waters. As the internet continues to rapidly develop, cyber attacks are posing a serious threat to not only everyday life, but also to national security. In particular, cyber attacks perpetrated by enemy states are posing a critical challenge to security. In response, countries are formulating cyber security strategies and establishing organizations dedicated to confronting this challenge. The international community is also increasing its efforts to deal with large-scale natural disasters. In March 2011, a massive earthquake (magnitude of 9.0 on the Richter Scale) and a super-sized tsunami hit northeastern Japan, leading to a disaster that damaged the Fukushima nuclear power plant causing radiation leakage. In October 2011, one third of Thailand was declared a disaster zone following heavy flooding, while an earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter Scale caused numerous deaths in Turkey. The international community carried out combined recovery efforts by dispatching relief teams to the disaster stricken areas and providing medical and emergency supplies. ----- **Security Environment of** **Northeast Asia** In Northeast Asia, mutual exchanges and cooperation for regional peace and stability, as well as economic advancement are increasing. At the same time, anxiety over security due to competition for regional ascendancy continues, amidst persisting elements of tension between nations, such as discrepancies in the perceptions of past histories, territorial disputes, and demarcation of territorial waters. **1. Regional Security Environment** Northeast Asia is a region where the interests of military and economic powers such as the United States, Japan, China, and Russia intersect. Countries in Northeast Asia are undertaking efforts towards mutual cooperation while at the same time keeping each other in check, in order to secure a position of regional ascendancy as well as to fulfill national interest. In 2011, the United States issued a foreign policy[1] related to politics, economy, and strategies that focuses on the Asia-Pacific region. In accordance with this policy, the United States is strengthening its traditional security cooperation relationships with five key allies including the ROK, Japan, Australia, the Philippines, and Thailand, while constructing a more effective system of multilateral security in the region. Moreover, the United States is strengthening security cooperation in the region in the form of two trilateral arrangements (ROK, United States, and Japan / United States, Japan, and Australia), centering on humanitarian **Section** # 2 **1. United States Foreign Policy** **Focused on the Asia-Pacific Region** U.S. foreign policy concentrating on the broad set of challenges and opportunities related to the security and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region. ----- assistantce and disaster relief. China is expanding the scope of its security cooperation and strengthening its strategic partnerships with Russia and other neighboring states of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) through the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).[2] Since its first combined military exercise in 2005(‘Peace Mission’), the SCO have held five additional exercises between 2007 and 2011. In particular, the combined naval exercises between China and Russia in 2012 showcased the Organi zation’s military cooperation relationships. The ROK, China, and Japan are also advancing security and economic cooperation – summit meetings[3] among the three countries have taken place under the framework of ASEAN+3[4] since 1999, while a separate meeting has also taken place since December 2008. Moreover, mutual economic exchange between the ROK, China, and Japan is increasing, as well as the level of human and material resource interdependency. Negotiations have begun for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the ROK and China, while discussions over a ROK-China-Japan FTA are ongoing. This increase in trilateral economic cooperation and interdependency among the three nations could also set in motion a change to the traditional security interests of the three countries to a certain degree. In addition to these efforts, military exchanges between countries in the region are actively taking place. By engaging in bilateral and trilateral ministerial meetings and military dialogue during the annual Asian Security Summit (ASS)[5] in Singapore, countries in the region are making efforts towards military confidence-building and the establishment of regional stability. Through senior officer-level bilateral dialogues, Japan and China, as well as Japan and Russia are expanding the scope of their exchanges. In July 2011, the Japanese Defense Minister met with the Vice Chief of General Staff of the People’s Liberation Army during his visit to China, while Russia participated in the multinational RIMPAC (Rim of the Pacific) exercise for the first time in 2012. However, disagreements over perceptions of history and distortions of history textbooks, as well as sovereignty disputes over islets between China and Japan, and Japan and Russia, remain as potential elements that could increase security tensions in Northeast Asia. In addition, maritime **2. Shanghai Cooperation Organization** **(SCO)** Multilateral cooperative body composed of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. *[ Observer nations (4): India, Pakistan, ] Mongolia, Iran. **3. ROK, China, Japan summit meetings** 1[st] meeting: Japan (Decmber 2008) 2[nd] meeting: China (October 2009) 3[rd] meeting: The ROK (May 2010) 4[th] meeting: Japan (May 2011) 5[th] meeting: China (May 2012) **4. ASEAN+3** Permanent meeting body between ASEAN (10 countries to date) and the ROK, China, and Japan, which started in 1997. Along with the ASEAN+3, a separate ROK, China, Japan trilateral summit meeting is being held since 1999. **5. Asia Security Summit [(]ASS[)]** A defense dialogue forum at the highest level with Asia-Pacific and 27 European Defense ministers and national security experts has been held annually at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore. ASS is also termed as the Shangri-La Dialogue. ----- Refer to Status of Neighboring Countries’ Military Strength **China** **Number of Troops: Approx. 2,285,000** **Key Weapon Systems: 1 aircraft carrier, 71** submarines, 1,751 fighters and bombers **Defense Budget: USD 89.8Bn.** **Chart 1-1. The Military Strength of the 4 powers surrounding the Korean Peninsula** **Russia** **Number of Troops: Approx. 956,000** **Key Weapon Systems: 1 aircraft carrier, 65** submarines, 1,765 fighters and bombers **Defense Budget: USD 52.7Bn.** **Force Upgrades: Nuclear capability enhancement,** development of stealth fighters and new missiles, **Japan** strengthening of space capabilities **Number of Troops: Approx. 248,000** **Key Weapon Systems: 6 Aegis-class ships, 18** submarines, 348 fighters and bombers **Defense Budget: USD 58.4Bn.** **Force Upgrades: Strengthening of the MD [(]missile** defense[)] system, introduction of next generation fighters, enhancement of Aegis ship capabilities 1 aircraft carrier, 71 [(]DF-4D[)], and **United States** [)], strengthening of **Number of Troops: Approx. 1,569,000** **Key Weapon Systems: 11 aircraft carriers, 71** submarines, 3,191 fighters and bombers **Defense Budget: USD 739.3Bn.** **Force Upgrades: Force upgrade of the Pacific** Command, rotational force deployment in the Asia-Pacific region, realignment of U.S. Forces in the ROK and Japan, pursuit of strategic flexibility *[ Source: ][The Military Balance 2012][ (London: The International Institute for Strategic Studies, March 2012) and ] others (defense budgets are for 2011) *[ Number of fighters and bombers includes naval aircraft. Number of submarines includes strategic nuclear ] submarines demarcation disputes including the scope of Economic Exclusive Zones (EEZ) are also potential sources of conflict, as countries in the region continue to adhere to a position that put forward their own national agendas. **2. Defense Policy and Military Status** In Northeast Asia, the United States continues to maintain military superiority while China and Japan are in competition to increase their naval and air force capabilities. With China emerging as the third space power after the United States and Russia, competition in outer space is ----- becoming overheated between the countries in the region. Chart 1-1 summarizes the military strength of the four major countries in the region surrounding the Korean Peninsula. **| The U.S.’s Defense Policy and Military Status | The United States** is currently pursuing a new military strategy in order to meet the demands of a changing strategic environment, characterized by defense cuts, end of war in Iraq, ongoing drawdown of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, and the increase of China’s influence and Asia’s importance. In January 2012, the U.S. Department of Defense issued the new ‘Defense Strategic Guidance,’[6] which evaluates the current strategic environment and lays out the strategy for each region in order to maintain its global leadership. In the ‘Defense Strategic Guidance,’ the United States noted its intention to maintain or increase the level of U.S. forces in the Asia-Pacific region, as it evaluated the Asia-Pacific region as the top priority region in its global strategy. The U.S. military is focusing on stabilizing Afghanistan following the completion of its withdrawal from Iraq – withdrawal from Afghanistan is scheduled to conclude by 2014. In conjunction with the withdrawal from Afghanistan, the United States Army plans to reduce its standing army from 570,000 to 490,000. At the same time, the United States Army is transforming itself into a more efficient force by modernizing its network systems, land combat vehicles, joint tactical vehicles, and personal equipment. The U.S. Department of Defense, evaluating China’s A2/AD[7] capability as a key challenge, is continuing to strengthen its naval and air force capabilities that can execute new operational concepts such as ‘Air-Sea Battles’[8] in order to effectively counter such capability. In particular, the U.S. Navy is strengthening its capabilities in the Asia-Pacific. It plans to operate a maximum of six aircraft carriers in the Asia-Pacific by 2020,[9] while maintaining its existing aircraft carrier strike groups and carrier air wings. Moreover, the U.S. Navy plans to deploy more than half of its submarine force, including the new Virginia-class strategic nuclear submarines, to the Asia-Pacific region. The Air Force is continuing to enhance its long-range strike capabilities and is steadfastly pursuing the transition of its forces in the direction of unmanned platforms, while **6. Defense Strategic Guidance** Original Title: ‘Sustaining U.S. Global Leadership: Priorities for 21[st] Century Defense.’ **7. Anti-Access and Area-Denial [(]A2/** **AD[)]** Concept developed after the conflict over the Taiwan straits between the U.S. and China in 1996. *[ Anti-Access (A2): Prevention of entry ] of U.S. forces into Chinese areas of operation *[ Area-Denial (AD): Denial of ] unrestricted military acts by U.S. forces in Chinese areas of operation **8. Air Sea Battle** Joint operational concept between the U.S. Navy and Air Force to overcome the A2/AD capabilities, through utilization of air power, naval aircraft, and submarine/surface-launched missiles. *[ Development of this concept began in ] 2006 to counter China’s A2/AD capabilities in relation to Taiwan and the East and South China Seas **9. U.S. Navy’s Operation of Aircraft** **Carriers in the Asia-Pacific** In a speech given at the Asia Security Summit (Shangri-La Dialogue) in June 2012, U.S. Secretary of Defense Panetta stated that the U.S. will adjust the ratio between its naval forces in the Pacific and Atlantic from the current ratio of 5:5 to a 6:4 ratio by 2020. Secretary Panetta also stated that the U.S. plans to deploy six aircraft carriers to the Pacific region as part of this initiative. ----- additionally deploying the newest fighters, strategic airlifters, aerial refueling aircraft, and unmanned reconnaissance vehicles to key force projection bases in the Asia-Pacific: Guam and Hawaii. The United States is increasing the role and activities of its forces in the Asia-Pacific region by strengthening its rotational force deployments and combined exercises. In particular, a significant portion of Marines currently in Okinawa, Japan, are scheduled to redeploy to Guam, Hawaii, and Darwin, Australia, by 2014. Meanwhile, the ROK and the U.S. agreed to maintain the current level of USFK forces through the Joint Communiqué issued at the 44[th] ROK-U. S. Security Consultative Meeting(SCM) held in October 2012. In addition, the ROK and the U.S. are continuing to maintain close cooperation to transition the wartime operational control (OPCON) to the ROK by 1 December 2015, as agreed during the ROK-U.S. Summit in June 2010. **| Japan’s Defense Policy and Military Status | Japan’s basic policy** for national defense is to prevent direct invasion, to defeat such invasion in the event it occurs, and to uphold Japan’s independence and peace. Japan has observed the Three Non-Nuclear Principles and adhered to the principle of civilian control of the military while maintaining the Exclusively Defense-Oriented Policy[10] in accordance with its Consti tution. In the 2010 National Defense Program Guidelines, Japan identified the challenges from China and North Korea as its main security issue, and changed its defense force concept from a Basic Defense Force Concept to a Dynamic Defense Force[11] to prepare for such challenges. Force enhancement in accordance with the new concept of Dynamic Defense Force on the southwest archipelago in response to the challenges posed by China, while in the past a northern focus was taken in response to the challenges posed by Russia. In terms of its ground forces, Japan is enhancing its mobility and its island defense capabilities while reducing its conventional forces. As for its naval and air force capabilities, Japan is strengthening its forces based on the concept of selection and concen tration, improving its long-range operational capabilities with advanced precision strike weapons. The Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF), which is composed of eight The USS George Washington enters Busan port to take part in an ROK-U.S.Japan combined naval exercise (June 2012) **10. Exclusively Defense-Oriented** **Policy** Passive defense concept of employing military forces only when attacked and maintaining a defense force at a minimum level required for such self-defense. **11. Dynamic Defense Force** Defense concept based on operating defense forces around the principles of immediate response, mobility, and flexibility, to effectively deal with contingencies before the onset of crisis. ----- divisions, six brigades, one armored division, and a central readiness force, is developing an operating system capable of performing a variety of roles, in accordance with the Dynamic Defense Force concept. In particular, during the ‘2011 − 2015 Mid-Term Defense Program’ period, Japan plans to reduce the number of tanks and artillery, deploy coastal surveillance and early response units to the Southwest region, and improve the effectiveness of its air defense capabilities by deploying upgraded surface-to-air missiles while transitioning to an organization of seven surface-to-air missile units from the current number of eight. The Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) is comprised of four escort flotillas, five regional district commands, and nine air fleets (five fixed wing, four rotary), operating 48 combatant ships, two 13,500-ton frigates with helicopter launch capabilities, as well as 18 submarines. The ‘Mid-Term Defense Program,’ to be carried out between 2011 and 2015, encompasses the following upgrades to Japan’s maritime capabilities: procurement of new submarines and additional helicopter-equipped frigates, as well as the fielding of new patrol aircraft. These upgrades are designed to increase the MSDF’s rapid deployment and response capabilities. The Air Self-Defense Force (ASDF) maintains 12 flight squadrons. The number of fighters operated by the ASDF is 348, with the F-15 being its main aircraft. During the ‘2011−2015 Mid-Term Defense Program’ period, Japan is pursuing the introduction of F-35 fighters to replace the old F-4, and is upgrading its existing F-15s and F-2s. Moreover, the ASDF is developing the next-generation cargo plane (XC-2) to replace its fleet of obsolete cargo planes (C-1). In addition, in March 2012, the ASDF strengthened its joint missile defense capabilities with the United States by relocating its Air Defense Command to Yokota Air Base, home to the U.S. Air Forces in Japan. In order to strengthen its ballistic missile defense system, Japan is upgrading its radar systems, deploying additional PAC-3s in Okinawa, and increasing the number of its Aegis ships equipped with Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) systems for the purpose of force enhancement. Japan is accelerating its space program with the enactment of the ‘Basic Space Law’ in May 2008. The 2010 National Defense Program Guidelines outlines the intention to strengthen intelligence collection and C4ISR The Japanese government has selected the F-35 as its next-generation fighter. **PAC Patriot Advanced Capability** **C4ISR Command, Control,** Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance ----- capabilities through the development and utilization of space, while Japan amended its ‘Law concerning Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’ in June 2012 by nullifying a passage limiting the activities of aerospace development agencies to peaceful endeavors. Moreover, Japan’s Ministry of Defense is preparing itself against cyber warfare by evaluating cyber threats, establishing dedicated cyber units, and developing cyber weapons. **| China’s Defense Policy and Military Status | On the basis of a** traditional active defense strategy, China advocates ‘Victory in Local Wars through Intelligence,’ and is undertaking the initiative to modernize its forces with the objective of making them more ‘intelligent.’ The Ground Force is streamlining its organization and structure, while strengthening its rapid response capabilities such as intelligence-based long-range mobility operations and amphibious operations. In 2003, the Ground Force initiated a plan to establish army aviation groups (regiment) at 18 Group Armies and currently there are 10 Aviation regiments at 8 Group Armies. The Ground Force operates three amphibious mechanized divisions (brigades), in addition to one marine land combat brigade. In terms of equipment modernization, the Ground Force has fielded next-generation armored vehicles (ZBD-type) and Z-10 attack helicopters since 2008, while the latest T-99 tank became operational in 2010. The Navy has adopted four Sovremenny-class destroyers (7,900-ton) and 12 Kilo-class submarines (3,000-ton) from Russia between 1995 and 2007 to strengthen its blue-water operational capabilities. Moreover, the Navy has fielded two new Jin-class strategic nuclear submarines equipped with JL-II ballistic missiles (8,000km+range) as of 2010, with a total of six to be operational by 2017. On September 25, 2012, the Navy commis sioned the ‘Liaoning,’ its first aircraft carrier originally acquired from the Ukraine in 1998, after refurbishing the vessel and carrying out ten sea trials since August 2011. The Air Force retired the dated J-6 fighter (Chinese produced MiG-19) as of June 12, 2010, as part of its efforts to modernize its fighter fleet. The J-20 stealth fighter continues to be developed after its first test flight on January 11, 2011. Moreover, the Air Force has fielded four KJ-2000 early warning and control aircraft, which were converted from IL-76 cargo aircraft, along with four KJ-200 early warning and control aircraft The first Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning anchored at Dalian. ----- developed based on the Y-8 mid-size cargo plane, as well as ten H-6U aerial refueling aircraft reconstituted from the H-6 bomber. In the space domain, the Air Force successfully destroyed an obsolete satellite using a ballistic missile in a test carried out in January 2007. Following the successful launch of a moon-exploration satellite in 2007 and 2010, and the third manned spacecraft in 2008, China launched the experimental space station Tiangong 1 as well as its fourth manned spacecraft in 2011 to conduct testing on docking procedures. With the success of its fifth manned spacecraft launch and space docking in 2012, China continues to pursue a course towards becoming a major space power. **| Russia’s Defense Policy and Military Status | Since October 2008,** Russia has been actively undertaking defense reforms with the goal of creating a defense force that can rapidly respond to future security threats. In May 2009 and February 2010 respectively, Russia announced its ‘National Security Strategy to 2020’[12] and ‘Military Doctrine,’[13] each providing a blueprint for its mid to long-term defense policy. The basic framework of Russia’s defense reform is to transform its armed forces into a million men standing army. Moreover, the command structure will be reorganized from a four-stage structure (military district – army – division – regiment) to a three-stage structure (military district – operations command – brigade) with six military districts being dissolved. In addition, four regional commands have been established that can operate joint forces towards the direction of threat. The modernization of Russia’s weapons system is being carried out in accordance with the ‘Weapons System Acquisition Plan for the Russian Armed Forces 2020,’ whereby Russia will retain its nuclear deterrent, while focusing on the modernization of its conventional weapons in response to possible low-intensity conflicts. Russia is modernizing its outdated equipment investing 186 billion USD by 2015. Russia has additionally deployed one strategic nuclear submarine (Borei-class, 19,400 ton) and ten fighter bombers (Su-34) in order to strategically expand its force projection capabilities, while also planning to deploy an additional strategic nuclear submarine before the end of 2012. Moreover, Russia plans to deploy multi-purpose fighters (Su-30SM), air defense missile **12. National Security Strategy to 2020** Policy paper that includes an extensive security structure encompassing politics, economy, and society. This policy paper replaced the ‘Russian National Security Doctrine’ of 2000 and outlines the strengthening of Russia’s ‘stature as a global power’ as the objective of Russia’s national security, while proposing means for Russia’s entry into the top five largest global economies, as well as its stable economic development against the backdrop of a multi-polar international order. **13. Military Doctrine** Strategic doctrine regarding national defense, revised for the third time following previous revisions in 1993 and 2000. The Doctrine identifies the eastern expansion of NATO, the establishment of the United States’ Missile Defense system, and the proliferation of WMD as the most serious military challenges. The New Doctrine also includes an overseas troop deployment clause aimed at protecting Russian nationals living abroad, while defining nuclear weapons as a means of deterrence. The Doctrine further emphasizes the increase of advanced conventional weapons in preparation for possible low-intensity conflicts. ----- systems (S-400), as well as French Mistral-class transport ships in the future. The Russian Ground Forces are in the process of fielding 30,000 multiple-launch rockets (Tornado-G, range of 90km) and 10,000 armored and mechanized vehicles in an effort to modernize their forces. This move is to meet the requirements of rapid response forces being organized in the newly established military districts. In 2012, the Ground Forces deployed the light armored vehicle Lynx, known for its superior defense capabilities, to the Southern Military District, and are planning to replace their current tanks and infantry combat vehicles (BMP-class) with defensively superior, new weapon systems. In February 2012, the Navy announced its ‘Mid to Long-term Navy Development Plan,’ which indicated a move away from a concept of quantitative increase of existing ships, towards the construction of forces optimally aligned to the combat environment of each fleet. Moreover, the Navy has deployed new strategic nuclear submarines equipped with the latest Liner intercontinental ballistic missiles, and for the long-term, plans to modernize all weapons and equipment of their coastal defense units and naval infantry (marines). The Russian Air Force is upgrading its precision strike and air defense capabilities. To this end, it is upgrading the capabilities of its Tu-95 long-range strategic bombers, as well as its Tu-160 fourth generation supersonic strategic bombers. In addition, the Air Force plans to field 48 Su-35 multi-purpose fighters between 2010 and 2015, while developing and operationally deploying the T-50 fifth generation stealth fighter. The Air Force is also deploying S-400 surface-to-air missiles in the suburbs of Moscow and other important areas. Russia continues to improve its space technology and capabilities based on the idea that achieving supremacy in space is a critical element of victory in modern warfare. Russia is utilizing its 100 plus satellites for intelligence gathering, communications, and local navigation, while also possessing the capability to intercept satellites. Russia’s Eastern Military District Command, located in Khabarovsk, near the Korean Peninsula, is comprised of the Ground Forces (consisting of four armies), the Pacific Fleet Command, and the 3[rd] Air and Air Defense Forces Command. The key assets that are operational under this Topol-M (Russian ICBM) ----- District Command consist of land weapon systems including self-propelled artillery and MRLs, naval assets including submarines and destroyers, as well as fighters and reconnaissance aircraft including the MiG-31 and Su-27. ----- **North Korean Situation and** **Military Threats** Following its third generation power succession, North Korea has focused on solidifying the regime and internal unity, while maintaining its large conventional military forces, developing and increasing the number of its weapons of mass destruction to include nuclear weapon, and continuing armed provocations such as the attack on the ROK Ship Cheonan as well as the shelling of Yeonpyeongdo (island), thereby posing a significant threat to the security of the Republic of Korea. **1. North Korean Situation** **| Internal Situation | North Korea is a single party dictatorship** regime ruled by the Korean Workers’ Party (KWP), espousing a socialist state based on its Juche and Military First Ideologies. As the regime instability increased after the 1990s due to the structural deficiencies of socialism, aggravation of economic difficulties, and international isolation, the North Korean regime strengthened its Military First Policy, while devoting efforts to constructing a ‘strong and prosperous nation.’ North Korea focused on preparing the power succession following the decline of Kim Jong Il’s health in 2008, and on September 28, 2010, at the third Party Delegates’ Conference held in 44 years, it formalized the third generation power succession. Upon Kim Jong Il’s death on December 17, 2011, Kim Jong Un was selected as the Supreme Commander on December 30, before assuming the title of First Secretary of the Korean Workers’ Party on April 11, 2012, and First Chairman of the National Defense Commission on April 13, 2012, de facto completion of the power succession process. **Section** # 3 ----- Although North Korea pursued a reform and open policy, albeit limited in nature, while maintaining its socialist economy since the issuance of its ‘7·1 Economic Management Reform Measures,’[1] it has failed to revive its economy. Moreover, the continuation of its socialist planned economy system was at jeopardy due to the exacerbation of the already ailing North Korean economy and the deepening of its financial difficulties caused by the international sanctions placed on North Korea following its second nuclear test and long-range ballistic missile launch. To overcome this crisis, North Korea swiftly initiated the ‘150 day battle’[2] and other full mobilization-based economic revival efforts, as well as a currency reform.[3] However, a rapid rise in consumer prices, contraction of economic activities, and estrangement of public support led to the failure of these initiatives, thus, intensifying social unrest despite the regime’s original intentions. Furthermore, it is assessed that although North Korea is attempting to implement new economic management reform measures after the launch of the Kim Jong Un regime, inadequate conditions are delaying the full scale implementation of these measures. The inflow of outside culture such as capitalism are contributing to the decline of the North Korean people’s beliefs and the erosion of their loyalty towards the regime, while incidents of corruption of officials, civilian crimes, and other deviant behavior are increasing. In response, North Korea is aggressively carrying out measures focused on strengthening internal unity within the regime – organizing various public rallies and indoctrination sessions, intensifying surveillance and control through the use of public intelligence agencies, and implementing a policy of monitoring defectors along its border. **| Policies towards South Korea | Since the summit meeting between** the two Koreas in 2000, North Korea has attained economic benefits from South Korea emphasizing the spirit of ‘by ourselves’ which focuses on North and South Koreans both being ‘Koreans.’ However, immediately after the inauguration of President Lee Myung-bak in 2008, North Korea criticized South Korea’s policy as being hostile and unilat erally suspended inter-Korean dialogues, and since then has maintained a hard line policy towards South Korea. In 2010, North Korea committed two acts of provocation, which were the sinking of the ROK Ship **1. 7·1 Economic Management Reform** **Measures** Economic reform measures adopted from July 1, 2002, partially incorporating elements of a market economy, designed to rehabilitate an economy weakened during the 1990s. **2. 150 Day Battle** Nationwide labor mobilization movement aimed at overcoming the economic crisis of 2009. **3. Currency Reform** Measure implemented on November 30, 2009, mandating the exchange of the old currency to a new currency at the exchange rate of 100:1. ----- _Cheonan by a torpedo, and the indiscriminate shelling of Yeonpyeongdo_ (island). In 2011, North Korea employed a dual policy of hard-line and soft-line strategy of rhetorically threatening military provocation while aggres sively calling for dialogue with South Korea. Since the beginning of the year, North Korea has proposed the resumption of dialogue with South Korea through its New Year’s Joint Editorial, as well as through combined statements from its government, party, and organizations. On January 20, a proposal for a high level inter-Korean military meeting to ease tensions was even made through an open letter from North Korea’s Minister of People’s Armed Forces. Although a preliminary meeting was held in February, North Korea caused the talks to break down by repeating its stance on the provocative attack it carried out on the ROK Ship Cheonan and the shelling of Yeonpyeongdo (island). Afterwards, North Korea strongly criticized the ROK-U.S. combined exercises (KR/FE), while on March 23, it threatened to ‘aim, fire and destroy’ balloons launched by South Korean civilians containing propaganda materials. In June, North Korea disclosed records of closed-door between the two Koreas, declaring an end to dialogue with the South Korean government. Between August and September, North Korea called for a change in South Korea’s North Korean policy, the cessation of the UFG exercise, as well as the resignation of the South Korean Minister of Unification. In October, North Korea criticized South Korea’s normal naval activities as well as the deployment of propaganda balloons by South Korean civilian organizations as ‘acts of war’ and threatened to launch military strikes. Following Kim Jong Il’s death on December 17, 2011, North Korea began to slander South Korea for its decision to limit the dispatch of condolence delegations to the North through nationwide large-scale public rallies. Through various media outlets, North Korea criticized South Korea on approximately 400 occasions in January 2012 alone, and in March, continued its criticism by directing it against the South Korean armed forces’ slogan as well as the KR/FE exercise. In April, North Korea strengthened its propaganda campaign against South Korea by vehemently criticizing the South Korean government and the ruling party in relation to the National Assembly elections. With the failure of its long-range missile launch, North Korea issued a crude criticism of the South Korean **KR/FE Key Resolve/ Foal Eagle** **UFG Ulchi Freedom Guardian** ----- government through its Supreme Command on April 18, while increasing the level of its threat by threatening to carry out attacks against South Korean government departments and some media agencies in Seoul. Moreover, tensions between the two Koreas continued as North Korea issued military threats on South Korea through a Special Operations Action Group of the Supreme Command on April 23, as well as through an open notice issued by the General Staff Department on June 4. In this manner, North Korea aims to unify the Korean Peninsula under communism by attempting to divide public opinion in the South and drive a wedge in the ROK-U.S. Alliance, and by continuing its military threat to South Korea through developing nuclear weapons and missiles among other means. Meanwhile, no efforts are being taken by North Korea to build military confidence that would ease tensions and establish a foundation for peace. **| Foreign Policy | North Korea considers weapons of mass** destruction, including nuclear weapons, as tools for regime survival. Despite the imposition of sanctions through resolution 1874[4] of the UN Security Council following its second nuclear test in May 2009, North Korea has used brinksmanship[5] to sustain the regime, making full use of the nuclear weapons card. North Korea attempted to improve its relations with the United States by taking advantage of the amicable atmosphere following the U.S.-China summit meeting of January 2011. The atmosphere for dialogue for resolving the North Korean nuclear issue was maintained following the first and second talks of July and October, respectively, the groundwork for which was laid by former U.S. President Carter’s earlier visit to North Korea. Even with the death of Kim Jong Il, the third round of talks was held in February 2012, resulting in the ‘2·29 U.S.-North Korea Agreement.’[6] However, the United States invalidated the Agreement following North Korea’s launch of a long-range missile on April 13, 2012, and the UN Security Council issued a presidential statement warning North Korea of strong sanctions. North Korea is focusing on circumventing the sanctions imposed by the international community by strengthening its relations with China, and securing political and economic assistance in the process. From 2010 until **4. UN Security Council Resolution** **1874** Resolution adopted unanimously by the UN Security Council on June 12, 2009, following North Korea’s second nuclear test. **5. Brinksmanship** Extreme negotiation tactics employed by North Korea during the nuclear talks with the United States. **6. 2·29 U.S.-North Korea Agreement** Agreement following the 3[rd] U.S.-North Korea high level talks (February 23−24) held at Beijing, outlining North Korea’s commitment to halt its nuclear and long-range missile tests, its uranium enrichment program, and implementing preparation measures for denuclearization such as re-admitting IAEA inspection teams to North Korea. The Agreement also outlines the United States commitment to provide 240,000 tons of food aid to North Korea in return. ----- his death, Kim Jong Il sought to strengthen North Korea’s political and economic relationship with China through three summit meetings. North Korea is continuing its high level diplomatic efforts with China after the launch of the Kim Jong Un regime, exemplified by Chang Sung Taek’s visit to China between August 13 and 18. The first North Korea-Russia summit in nine years was held on August 24, 2011 during which agreements were reached on issues including the resumption of the Six-Party Talks, economic cooperation, and the construction of gas pipe lines. Since then efforts to strengthen economic cooperation between the two countries have continued. North Korea is continuing its efforts to improve relations with Japan through talks on the repatriation of Japanese citizens abducted to North Korea, as well as the return of Japanese remains. In addition to countries within the region, North Korea is strengthening its exchange and cooperation with non-allied countries in Southeast Asia and other regions, while continuing efforts to attract more investment from European countries. **2. Military Strategy and Military Command Structure** **| Military Strategy | North Korea espouses the principle of** ‘Self-Sufficient National Defense’ based on the principles of its Juche ideology, while continuing to build-up its military power. Since the adoption of the Four-Point Military Lines in 1962, North Korea has maintained a Military First Policy, which was maintained by Kim Jong Il after he took power. This policy calls for the maintenance of military superiority over South Korea as the highest priority. In the short-term, it seems unlikely that Kim Jong Un, who came to power following Kim Jong Il’s death, will make a shift from the previous pursuit of the Military First Policy. North Korea’s fundamental objective, which is the unification of Korea under communism, seems unlikely to change under Kim Jong Un. To achieve this objective, North Korea maintains a military strategy based on surprise attacks, hybrid warfare, and lightning warfare while seeking changes to a variety of tactics to counter South Korea’s advanced forces North Korea-China Summit (Beijing, May 25, 2011) ----- and comply with the characteristics of modern warfare. North Korea is pursuing a concentrated upgrade of its asymmetrical forces including weapons of mass destruction, special operation forces, long-range artillery, underwater warfare forces, and cyber attack capabilities, while selectively upgrading its conventional forces. In particular, as a means of local provocation during armistice and as a primary means of attack during wartime, North Korea’s asymmetrical forces pose a significant threat to the ROK military. **| Military Command Structure | The Central Military Committee of** the KWP deliberates and rules on the means to attain the Party’s military line and policies, as well as exercising overall purview over national defense projects, including projects designed to strengthen armed revolution and the war industries. The National Defense Commission is North Korea’s supreme entity on military guidance (‘KWP Charter’ Article 3, Section 27, amended on September 28, 2010). With Kim Jong Il given the title of eternal General Secretary of the KWP and Chairman of the National Defense Commission, Kim Jong Un exerts command and control over North Korea’s military organization as the de facto head, through his capacity as the First Secretary of the KWP, First Chairman of the National Defense Commission, Supreme Commander of the Korean People’s Armed Forces, and Chairman of the Central Military Committee of the KWP (North Korea’s ‘Socialist Constitution,’ Article 6, Section 3, Clause 106, adopted on April 13, 2012). The National Defense Commission is comprised of the General Political Bureau, the General Staff Department, and the Ministry of the People’s Armed Forces, which are arranged in parallel structure relative to one another. The General Political Bureau oversees the military’s party organi zation and political ideology, while the General Staff Department exercises command over military operations. The Ministry of the People’s Armed Forces exercises administrative control over the military, encompassing diplomacy, logistics, administration, and finances, as the representative of North Korea’s armed forces to the outside world. Chart 1-2 summarizes North Korea’s military command structure. ----- **Chart 1-2. North Korea’s Military Command Structure** **National Defense** **Commission** |Col1|Col2| |---|---| |Body Guard Command General Political Gener Bureau Depar|Col2|Col3|Military Security Command al Staff Ministry of the People’s tment Armed Forces|Col5| |---|---|---|---|---| |x xxx xxx xxx||xx xx xx xx||| Regular Corps Mechanized Corps Pyongyang CommandDefense CommandSecurity Border Corps11[th] CommandStrategic Rocket Armored Division Cavalry and DivisionInfantry DivisionArtillery DivisionAircraft Anti- CommandNaval CommandAir Force (9) (2) (4) xxx: Corps, xx: Division, PDC: Pyongyang Defense Command, Strategic Rocket Command: Former Missile Directorate, Anti-Aircraft Division: directly subsumed under the General Staff Department in 2011 from being under the Pyongyang Defense Command **3. Military Capabilities** **| Ground Force | The Ground Force is comprised of nine regular** corps, two mechanized corps, the Pyongyang Defense Command, the Border Security Command, the 11[th] Corps, and the Strategic Rocket Command, for a total of 15 corps-level units organized under the General Staff Department. With 70 percent of the Ground Force positioned south of the Pyongyang-Wonsan line, North Korea is maintaining a military posture capable of conducting a surprise attack at any time. In particular, the 170mm self-propelled artillery and 240mm MRLs in forward positions are capable of surprise, concentrated fire on South Korea’s Seoul metropolitan area. Moreover, North Korea is strengthening its provocation capabilities towards South Korea’s five islands on the West Sea and surrounding areas by forward deployed amphibious and air assets in addition to the existing artillery and MRLs in the northern coastal regions along the Northern Limit Line (NLL). The armored and mechanized units are continuing to modernize their equipment, retiring their main T-54/55 tanks and replacing them with the Cheonma tank as well as an upgraded variation of the Cheonma tank. Moreover, by continuing to increase its armored and mechanized forces, ----- the Ground Force is significantly augmenting its mobility and strike capabilities as well as improving its operational flexibility. North Korea’s special warfare forces are currently estimated at 200,000 strong. The Ground Force has a diverse array of strategic, operational, and tactical special warfare units, including the 11[th] corps, the light infantry division of the forward corps, and the light infantry regiment of the forward divisions. These special warfare units are expected to penetrate South Korea’s rear areas during wartime through various means including the use of underground tunnels and AN-2 aircraft, attacking key targets, assassinating key personnel, causing general disruption and executing other hybrid operations. Chart 1-3 summarizes the key assets of the North Korean Ground Force. **Chart 1-3. Key Assets of the North Korean Ground Force** **River-crossing** **Equipment** **approx. 3,000** **Tanks** **approx. 4,200** **Armored Vehicles** **Field Artillery** **MRL** **approx. 2,200** **approx. 8,600** **approx. 4,800** **| Navy | Organized under the Naval Command, the Navy is comprised** of two Fleet Commands on the East and West Seas, 13 squadrons, and two maritime sniper brigades. 60 percent of the Navy is forward deployed to the south of the Pyongyang-Wonsan line, allowing to maintain a surprise attack capability. However, the geographic separation of the Eastern and Western Fleets makes flexible operations difficult for the North Korean Navy, while its composition of small, high-speed vessels further limits deep sea operations. The Navy’s surface forces are mainly comprised of small, high-speed vessels such as guided missile patrol boats, torpedo boats, small patrol boats, and fire support patrol craft, that will carry out missions supporting Ground Force advancement (in connection with ground operations), as well as coastal defense missions. Although these small vessels lack deep sea operation capabilities, majority are forward deployed and can execute ----- surprise attacks in offshore waters with support from radar stations, coastal artillery, as well as surface-to-ship missile units. The Navy’s underwater forces are comprised of 70 Romeo-class, and shark-class submarines, as well as salmon-class submersible vehicles. The mission of these underwater forces is to cut off sea channels, deploy mines, attack surface vessels, and support the penetration of special warfare units. In particular, North Korea is upgrading its underwater attack capabilities through the development of asymmetrical capabilities including submarines and the latest mines. The Navy’s landing forces include some 260 air-cushioned personnel landing crafts. By providing rapid transportation for special warfare units such as the maritime sniper brigades as they penetrate South Korea, these vessels will support operations designed to strike against key military and strategic facilities and secure key areas. Chart 1-4 summarizes the key assets of the North Korean Navy. **Chart 1-4. Key Assets of the North Korean Navy** **Surface** **Combatants** **approx. 420** **Mine** **Sweeping Boats** **approx. 30** **Submarines** **Landing Vessels** **approx. 70** **approx. 260** **Other Vessels** **approx. 30** **| Air Force | Under the Air Force Command, the North Korean Air** Force is comprised of four flight divisions, two tactical transport brigades, two air force sniper brigades, and an air defense unit. The Air Force divides North Korea into four zones, and deploys its forces accordingly. Although the majority of the North Korean Air Force aircraft are outdated models, approximately 40 percent of the 820 combat aircraft are forward deployed south of the Pyongyang-Wonsan line. Without the need for further adjustment to its aircraft deployment, the North Korean Air Force is capable of staging a sudden strike on South Korea’s key command and control facilities, air defense assets, supply routes, as well as industrial and military facilities. Moreover, the Air Force is capable of infiltrating special warfare units into key strategic facilities in ----- South Korea’s rear area, using AN-2 aircraft and helicopters that are suited for low altitude infiltration. The air defense system of North Korea centers on the Air Force Command, consisting of aircrafts, ground-to-air missiles, anti-aircraft artillery, and radar air defense units that are jointly organized. Primary air defense is delegated to each flight division responsible for one of the four zones dividing North Korean airspace. North Korea has deployed SA-2 and SA-5 ground-to-air missiles in the forward and coastal areas, while it has concentrated SA-2 and SA-3 ground-to-air missiles and anti-aircraft artillery in the Pyongyang area, forming a multi-layered air defense net. Numerous tactical and strategic anti-aircraft artilleries have been deployed throughout North Korea, the former to protect mobile units of the Ground Force, and the latter to protect key cities, ports, and war industry facilities. North Korea’s numerous radar air defense units, such as ground controlled interception bases and early warning bases, which are deployed throughout North Korea, are capable of covering the entire Korean Peninsula. Chart 1-5 summarizes the key assets of the North Korean Air Force. **Chart 1-5. Key Assets of the North Korean Air Force** **Reconnaissance** **Transport Aircraft** **Combat Aircraft** **Helicopters** **Training Aircraft** **Aircraft** **(including AN-2’s)** **approx. 820** **approx. 300** **approx. 170** **approx. 30** **approx. 330** **| Reserve Forces | The North Korean reserve force is comprised of** the Reserve Military Training Unit, the Worker and Peasant Red Guard organized around the workplace and regions, the middle school military organization known as the Red Youth Guard, as well as para-military units. The age eligibility of mobilization is between 14 and 60 years old, which corresponds to 7.7 million people or roughly 30 percent of the population. The Reserve Military Training Unit consists of some 600,000 members, who can play a key role in augmenting the combat capability to the regular ----- armed forces during wartime. The Unit maintains a level of training that is commensurate with the regular armed forces. The reserve force acquires certain equipment from the regular armed forces after the equipment is replaced through the process of modernization. The reserve force uses this equipment to increase its capabilities. Chart 1-6 summarizes the current status of the North Korean reserve force. **Chart 1-6. North Korean Reserve Force** |Division|Strength|Note| |---|---|---| |Total|approx. 7.7 million|| |Reserve Military Training Unit|approx. 600,000|Subject to combat mobilization - men between 17 and 50 - women between 17 and 30| |Worker and Peasant Red Guard|approx. 5.7 million|Equivalent to the ROK’s Homeland Reserve Forces| |Red Youth Guard|approx. 1 million|middle school military organization – boys and girls between 14−16 years of age| |Para-military units|approx. 400,000|Ministry of the People’s Security, Speed Battle Youth Assault Troops etc.| **| Strategic Weapons | North Korea continues to develop nuclear and** ballistic missiles, as well as chemical and biological weapons to secure a strategic offensive capability. From the beginning of the construction of the Yongbyon nuclear facility in the 1960s to the 1970s, North Korea focused research on refining, converting, and processing nuclear fuel. From the 1980s, North Korea secured nuclear material through reprocessing spent fuel rods from the operation of its 5MW nuclear reactor, a process through which North Korea was able to accumulate the technology to carry out two nuclear tests in October 2006 and May 2009. It is estimated that North Korea possesses roughly 40kg of plutonium from four rounds of reprocessing. Furthermore, it is likely that North Korea is operating a Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) Program, considering that a Foreign Ministry spokesman mentioned the term ‘uranium enrichment’ in 2009, and the revelation of a uranium enrichment facility in November 2010. Since beginning the development of ballistic missiles in the 1970s, North Korea produced and fielded SCUD-B (range of 300km) and SCUD-C (range of 500km) missiles in the mid-1980s. In the 1990s, North A North Korean long-range missile ready for launch (April 2012) ----- **Chart 1-7. Ranges of North Korea’s Missiles by Type** **Alaska** **Moscow** **SCUD** **Japan** **China** **Nodong** **500Km** **1,300Km** **Musudan** **Hawaii** **India** **Daepodong** **Guam** **3,000Km** **6,700Km** **Australia** Korea tested and fielded the Nodong missile (range of 1,300km), while in 2007, it fielded the Musudan missile (range of over 3,000km). Following these deployments, North Korea has gained direct strike capabilities against South Korea, Japan, Guam, and other surrounding countries. In addition, North Korea began development of Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) in the late 1990s, leading to the test launch of the Daepodong 1 missile in 1998 and the Daepodong 2 missile in 2006. In April of 2009 and 2012, North Korea carried out test launches of long-range missiles that used the Daepodong 2 as propellants, which failed both times. On April 15, 2012, North Korea revealed what appeared to be a new missile in development, during a military parade. Chart 1-7 summarizes the various ranges of missiles currently in North Korea’s possession. North Korea began developing chemical weapons following Kim Il Sung’s ‘Declaration for Chemicalization’ in December 1961 by establishing its own policy and installing chemical weapons research and development **Hawaii** New missile unveiled during a parade marking the 100[th] anniversary of Kim Il Sung’s birth (April 2012) ----- facilities. Following the commencement of production in the 1980s, it is estimated that North Korea has a stock of 2,500−5,000 tons of various chemical weapons stored in multiple facilities throughout the country. Moreover, North Korea likely has the capability to produce a variety of biological weapons including anthrax, smallpox, pest, francisella tularensis, and hemorrhagic fever virus. **| Sustained War Fighting Capability | In order to maintain its** capacity to carry out prolonged war and to mobilize armaments, North Korea is placing priority on growing its defense industry above others, even against the backdrop of energy and economic crisis. North Korea possesses some 300 armaments factories, while civilian factories designated for transition to armaments production in wartime are capable of making such a transition in a short period of time. The majority of North Korea’s wartime material is stored in underground facilities, while the stockpile of these materials is estimated to last 2−3 months. However, North Korea’s ability to sustain a prolonged operation will be limited without further external purchase or assistance. ----- ----- ----- ##### Chapter 2 **National Security** **Strategy and Defense** **Policy** Section 1 National Security Strategy Section 2 National Defense Policy 40 43 ----- **National Security Strategy** The National Security Strategy is an action plan covering comprehensive and systematic use of nation’s capabilities to ensure national security. The National Vision[1] of the Lee Myung-bak Administration is to build ‘a World Class Nation through Advancement,’ as it aims to guide the nation towards becoming a ‘Global Korea.’[2] The administration proposes a ‘National Security Strategic Guidance’ as the means to attain its vision of national security. The Ministry of National Defense is concentrating its efforts on attaining the nation’s security objectives and supporting national policies. **1. National Vision and the National Security Objectives** The Lee Myung-bak Administration designated ‘World Class Nation through Advancement’ as its National Vision. This Vision is based on the basic principles of the ROK Constitution: liberal democracy and market economy. A ‘World Class Nation’ is a nation where economic development and social integration are achieved through mature civic consciousness and culture, as well as advanced science, technology, and industries. National Security Objective is a goal that must be attained to achieve national security at all costs based on an evaluation of the prevailing security environment and national powers. The government has defined the objectives of national security as ‘maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, guaranteeing the people’s safety and establishing a foundation for national prosperity, and increasing the nation’s international influence and advancing its status.’ First, ‘maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula’ is a commitment to uphold stability and guarantee peace on the Peninsula on the basis of ROK’s self-defense capabilities and the ROK-U.S. Alliance, as **Section** # 1 **1. National Vision** The Lee Myung-bak Administration adopts a vision calling for a prosperous people, a caring society, and a strong nation in order to construct a ‘World Class Nation through Advancement.’ **2. Global Korea** This is one of the government guidelines set by the Lee Myung-bak Administration towards achieving this vision, regarding national security. The basic concept of this vision is to contribute to world peace and joint development through an active and open foreign policy that engages various nations around the world, for exchange and cooperation in the areas of economy, culture, environment, and other global issues. ‘Global Korea’ represents a shift away form a narrow foreign policy and security strategy that centers on the North Korean nuclear issue and on the Korean Peninsula. ----- well as through inter-Korean exchange and cooperation and wide ranging engagements with neighboring countries. Second, ‘guaranteeing the people’s safety and establishing a foundation for national prosperity’ is defined as protecting citizens from a variety of security threats while simultaneously obtaining economic and social security that provide the basis for national prosperity. Third, ‘increasing the nation’s international influence and advancing its status’ refers to Korea becoming a ‘soft strong power’[3] by actively contributing to world peace, liberal democracy, and prosperity, while strengthening the bonds of cooperation with the international community. **2. Tenets of the National Security Strategy** The government has specified the tenets of national security strategy into three areas in order to obtain its national security objectives. The three areas are: the creation of a new peace structure, the advancement of pragmatic diplomacy and an active open-door policy, and the pursuit of further contribution to the international security. First, ‘the creation of a new peace structure’ entails the future-oriented pursuit of inter-Korean relations in a manner that would provide mutual benefits. It also entails the pursuit of a ‘21[st] century Strategic Alliance’[4 ] with the United States that will contribute to peace on the Korean Peninsula, stability in the region, and peace throughout the globe, as well as the pursuit of close, cooperative relationships with neighboring countries. Second, the advancement of ‘pragmatic diplomacy and an active open-door policy’ includes strengthening Korea’s practical diplomacy in order to vitalize the economy. It also includes strengthening Korea’s energy diplomacy in order to secure the foundations for economic growth, while undertaking international cooperation and diplomacy befitting the size of Korea’s economy and its diplomatic stature. Third, ‘the pursuit of an advanced, globally-oriented system of security’ entails the attainment of an advanced national defense management system capable of actively dealing with changes in the security environment and the demands of future warfare. It also entails the **3. Soft Strong Power** A world class advanced nation possessing both economic and cultural capabilities on the basis of strong national power. It is both soft and strong, and it actively contributes to the stability of the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia, as well as to world peace. **4. 21[st] Century Strategic Alliance** A new vision for the ROK-U.S. Alliance. An Alliance that (1) advances the shared ideals of liberal democracy, market economy, and humanitarianism on the Korean Peninsula, in Northeast Asia, and in the world. An Alliance that (2) expands the mutual relationship between the two countries to areas encompassing the economy, society, and culture on the basis of the underlying military alliance. An Alliance that (3) contributes to building world peace and trust by strengthening strategic cooperation with neighboring countries. ----- establishment of capabilities within the sphere of comprehensive security in order to respond to diverse threats, while actively participating in international peacekeeping and reconstruction efforts. The government is pursuing ‘the attainment of a future-oriented security capability’ as one of six strategic tasks under the tenets of the national security strategy. ----- **National Defense Policy** In order to realize national security and national defense objectives in a rapidly changing security environment, the Ministry of National Defense has adopted ‘Advanced Elite Military’ as its vision, outlining eight policy frameworks towards its attainment. Furthermore, the Ministry has identified and is implementing three policies designed to better respond to not only direct acts of provocation such as the attack on the ROK Ship Cheonan and the shelling of Yeonpyeongdo (island), but also security threats emanating from the vulnerabilities and uncertainties of the North Korean regime. **1. National Defense Objectives** The National Defense Objective is ‘to protect the country from external military threats and invasions, to support peaceful unification, and to contribute to regional stability and world peace.’ The specific interpretation of the objective is as follows. First, ‘protecting the country from external military threats and invasions’ means being prepared to meet North Korea’s real military threat and at the same time being prepared to meet potential threats to our peace and security. North Korea poses a serious threat to our security by developing and increasing its large scale conventional military power, its nuclear program, missiles, and other weapons of mass destruction, and by continually perpetrating acts of armed provocation such as the attack on the ROK Ship Cheonan and the shelling of Yeonpyeongdo (island). As long as these threats persist, the North Korean regime and its armed forces, which are the entities who pose these threats, are our enemies. Second, ‘supporting peaceful unification’ means contributing to a peaceful unification by deterring war, alleviating military tensions, and **Section** # 2 ----- establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula. Third, ‘contributing to regional stability and world peace’ means contributing to the stability of Northeast Asia and world peace by advancing our friendly and cooperative relationships with neighboring countries, and through active participation in international peacekeeping efforts on the basis of the ROK’s national power and military capabilities. **2. Tenets of the National Defense Policy** The ROK military has adopted ‘Advanced Elite Military’ as its vision to achieve the objectives of national security and national defense. To this end, the ROK military has identified the following eight policy tenets,[1] which it is actively pursuing. (1) Establishing a defense posture for comprehensive security. (2) Strengthening the ROK-U.S. Military Alliance and expansion of defense diplomacy and cooperation. (3) Providing military support for the advancement in inter-Korea relations. (4) Bolstering advanced military capabilities. (5) Nurturing highly qualified military personnel and improving the training and education system. (6) Enhancing management efficiency. (7) Nurturing an attractive and rewarding military. (8) Striving to become a defense force that serves the people. **3. Pursuing Three Priority Policies** North Korea poses threats to our security by perpetrating direct and reckless acts of provocation such as attacking the ROK Ship Cheonan, shelling of Yeonpyeongdo (island) in 2010, and shelling of our waters near _Yeonpyeongdo (island) in 2011 as well as launching a long-range missile_ in 2012. Acknowledging such realities of the security environment, the ROK military has identified the following three priority policies: maintaining an immediate and resolute retaliation posture against enemy provocations, developing an elite and combat-oriented military, and improving the working conditions for service members. **1. Tenets of the National Defense** **Policy** The tenets of the defense policy are established in consideration of the national security strategy, national defense objectives, the outlook for security and future warfare, and the current state of national defense. ----- **| Maintaining an Immediate and Resolute Retaliation Posture** **against Enemy Provocation | The attack on the ROK Ship Cheonan** and the shelling of Yeonpyeongdo (island) were provocative actions that served as unequivocal reminders that the ROK military needs to retaliate immediately and resolutely against enemy provocation. In the future, the ROK military will decisively strike not only the origin of enemy provocation, but also the command and support forces behind the provocation. To this end, the ROK military is not only reinforcing its precision surveillance, target acquisition, and precision strike capabilities in the Northwest Islands and the surrounding areas, but is also significantly strengthening its ‘immediate retaliation forces’ including air defense and anti-missile defense capabilities, as well as airborne and standby forces. In June 2011, the ROK military established the Northwest Islands Defense Command and fortified defensive structures including K-9 encampments, helicopter hangars and vehicle shelters. Additionally, in order to guarantee and protect the safety and lives of civilians in the Northwest Islands region, the ROK military is reinforcing evacuation centers and improving the region’s capacity to withstand provocations. Moreover, the ROK military is continuing to develop the ‘Counter Provocation Plan’ so that the ROK and the United States can jointly respond to local provocations. In response to the enemy’s threat to ROK’s rear areas, the ROK military is strengthening its defense of key national facilities in close cooperation with the civil, government, and police authorities. Furthermore, in response to cyber threats and other forms of terrorism, the ROK military is sharing intelligence with relevant agencies as well as establishing a multi layered defense system. The ROK military is conducting field training exercises based on the most likely provocation scenarios as well as realistic and intense exercises designed to increase the proficiency of the military to automatically respond to all forms of enemy provocations. **| Developing an Advanced, Combat Mission Oriented Military | The** ROK military is developing into an advanced, combat mission oriented military, capable of conducting peacetime and wartime missions. To this ----- end, the ROK military is firmly establishing the roots of a combat oriented military while establishing a training and education system that simulates actual combat in order to cultivate competent cadres and warrior-minded soldiers. Moreover, the ROK military is developing its military personnel operation and management system. First, the ROK military is operating its units focused on combat missions in order to lay the foundation for a combat-oriented military. By drastically reducing administrative duties of service members, more time has been given to service members to focus on training and education. In so doing, the ROK military is creating an environment and military culture where their way of life is combat-focused. Second, the ROK military is revising its education system in order to cultivate outstanding cadres who possess expertise and understand jointness which are the key characteristics of developing a combat oriented military. In order to increase occupational specialties, the education system is being improved in the direction of connecting the school and the field, and is being carried out in the form of actual simulated combats realistic training and education corresponding to wartime scenarios. Furthermore, in order to strengthen the basis for jointness, the ROK military established the Joint Forces Military University and designed an education program to jointly educate first-year cadets of the Army, Navy, and Air Force Academies. Third, in order to develop a combat-oriented strong military, the ROK military is developing strong individual service members capable of immediately demonstrating their combat capabilities as well as unit activities that develop their field orientation. To this end, the ROK military is focused on developing ‘true warriors’ by improving the training and education programs for new recruits and by implementing a combat capability certification program. Moreover, in order to improve unit exercises that simulate actual tactical combat, training curriculums based on key combat skills that can immediately be used on the battlefield are devised with service members gaining proficiency in these skills through repetition. Furthermore, units in the field are being allowed to devote their efforts on improving their combat capabilities – the organization and equipment of sub-battalion units are being augmented to increase the combat strength of spearhead units, while combat-oriented education ----- training is being designated as the highest priority. Fourth, the ROK military is developing a system that can effectively recruit and operate outstanding personnel who can be leaders on tomorrow’s battlefields. The ROK military is establishing the framework for maintaining suitable personnel structure centered on cadres, which will increase job stability and the ability to utilize their expertise. Additionally, the ROK military developed and is implementing a ‘personnel management system that emphasizes military expertise,’ so that outstanding personnel may be utilized at the right place at the right time. **| Improving the Working Conditions for Service Members | The** Ministry of National Defense is improving the working conditions of service members so that they can fully concentrate on combat missions. To this end, the MND has selected the enhancement of welfare, modern ization of military facilities, innovation in medical system, advancement of military culture, and the guarantee of productive working conditions as key implementation tasks. First, a comprehensive welfare policy is under implementation based on ‘The Basic Plan for Military Personnel Welfare,’ designed to enhance the welfare and morale of service members to a level they can actually appreciate. The payroll system of military personnel has been revised to better reflect their rank, mission, and service environment while various allowances and benefits are either being created or increased in addition to the implementation of an interest-free tuition loan program for active duty enlisted service members. The MND is also expanding the home loan program to improve the welfare of military families as well as continually improving its home buying assistance program. Moreover, in order to improve the unfavorable educational conditions faced by the children of military personnel, provisions have been made to allow these children to enter elementary, middle, and high schools that have already been filled to their student capacities (within a margin of 2−5%) and they may also apply to univer sities through a separate admissions program. Additionally, the Ministry is improving its post-military job training for cadres scheduled to leave active duty while developing and expanding future job opportunities for ----- departing military personnel after completion of military duty. Also, the MND is creating a pension system which incorporates the unique charac teristics of the military in order to provide stability in living conditions and improving the quality of life for retired service members. Second, the Ministry of National Defense is improving and modernizing outdated and spatially-limited military facilities in a phased manner, in keeping with the general improvement of national living standards and social development. In particular, in order to guarantee a convenient environment, the modernization of military barracks aims to reduce the discrepancy between military barracks and the type of environment to which young enlisted service members are accustomed. Moreover, the standard of living quarters for cadres is being improved to a level on par with the average standard of civilian housing, and through this military quarter modernization initiative, the pride of cadres who are leaders within the military is uplifted. Furthermore, in accordance with the increase in the number of junior cadres following the restructuring of the military, new quarters are being built and inadequate ones are being expanded. Third, the Ministry of National Defense is significantly improving the military medical system. For this initiative, systems for disease prevention are being upgraded and the accessibility of medical services for military personnel as well as the medical support at division level units and below are being improved in order to increase the level of satisfaction of service members. Concurrently, cooperation with civilian medical services is also being improved through a strategic cooperation network. The number of preventive vaccines has increased from seven to eight in order to strengthen systems for disease prevention while efforts are being made for a hygienic barracks environment focused on prevention. Furthermore, in terms of improving medical accessibility for service members, medical consultations have been made mandatory for all incoming new recruits. This ensures that each recruit is afforded one-on-one consultations with a medic. Medical services and shuttle buses to medical facilities off-base are being offered to remotely located units. Improving the quality of battalion, regiment, and division medical services, which serve as the first point of treatment for the majority of service members, is an initiative on which the Ministry of National Defense places great emphasis. As part of this project, the Ministry has simplified the existing multi-layered treatment ----- system into a two-step treatment system (battalion/regiment – division), thereby expediting the treatment time. Moreover, the Ministry has assigned additional medical specialists to division medical facilities while also expanding the scope of medical examinations as well as providing step-by-step tailored medical services. Additionally, the Ministry is building a system of cooperative treatment between civilian and military medical hospitals. Fourth, the Ministry of National Defense is making efforts to cultivate an advanced military culture that provides the basis for a combat-oriented military that will emerge as victors in all battles. To this end, the Ministry prepared the ‘Code of Conduct for Military Life.’ Based on this Code, each Service is making efforts to create a ‘wave’ to eradicate bad customs by gathering opinions and thoughts and holding discussion sessions in order to foster an environment conducive to communications at all unit levels. Moreover, the Ministry is revising relevant laws and regulations to establish a framework to further protect individual rights of service members while also improving individual rights education programs. The Ministry is also implementing a system to resolve the predicaments of many service members and to care about misfits within the military. Fifth, the Ministry of National Defense is implementing a variety of policies designed to ensure productive military working conditions. The Ministry is providing support to service members so that they can prepare for post-military lives while remaining committed to their task. The Ministry of National Defense is providing educational opportunities that allow service members to continue earning academic credits towards degrees they were pursuing prior to entering the military, prepare for the General Educational Development test, and take advantage of e-contents and other learning opportunities. Furthermore, the Ministry is assisting many service members in obtaining national skill certifications by providing education and practical training. The Ministry is also developing an ‘academic credit recognition system’ designed to have the service members’ education and training experience from the military recognized by academic institutions after they are discharged. ----- |1|2| |---|---| |4|3| ||| ----- ##### Chapter 3 **Defense Posture for** **Comprehensive Security** Section 1 Robust Military Readiness Posture Section 2 Integrated Civilian-Government-MilitaryPolice Defense Posture Section 3 Development of a Readiness Posture against Transnational and Non-military Threats 52 63 67 **1 Integrated fires combat training (Seungjin** Range, June 2012) **2 Air Force fighters on patrol over the West Sea** **3 Boarding and inspection team in operation** during the 2012 PSI maritime interdiction exercise ‘Eastern Endeavor 12’ (High seas southeast of Busan, September 2012) **4 Bird’s-eye view of the Jeju Civilian-Military** Complex Port ----- **Robust Military Readiness** **Posture** The ROK military is maintaining an immediate and firm readiness posture in preparation against complex and diverse provocations such as North Korea’s attack against the ROK Ship Cheonan and shelling of Yeonpyeongdo (island). In order to maintain this posture, the ROK military is maximizing the efficiency of its existing forces by first reinforcing the vulnerable areas of the forces that are currently in operation and at the same time continuously acquiring forces capable of responding to a wide array of enemy provocation. Additionally, by ensuring a rapid response mobilization capability for contingencies and maintaining the ROK-U.S. combined defense posture, the ROK military is maintaining a robust military readiness posture. **1. Military Organization and Forces** **| Reinforcement of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Organization | The** Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) carries out joint and combined operations by executing operational command over joint units[1] and operations commands. In preparation for wartime operational control (OPCON) transition, and to establish an ROK military led war fighting system, the JCS has been reorganized to execute all operations in the ROK theater[2] simultaneously in an integrated manner. As of 1 January 2011, the organization of the JCS was strengthened from one vice chairman, three central directorates, and four offices to one vice chairman, four central directorates and four offices. The organizational chart of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is shown in Chart 3-1. By strengthening jointness,[3] the JCS will continue to develop its mission execution system that will enable close mutual support between the Army, Navy, and Air Force and the integration of the Services. Furthermore, the JCS will establish and develop a coordination organization with the United States Forces Korea (USFK) and strengthen this organization in order to **Section** # 1 **1. Joint Unit** A unit consisting of two or more Services. **2. Theater** A geographical space where ground, naval and air operations are carried out to achieve military strategic objectives **3. Jointness** A concept to guarantee decisive victory by maximizing the synergy of combat powers attained by effectively integrating and operating the forces and activities of each Service. Completion of the new JCS building equipped with command facilities to lead operations in the Korean theater (August 2012) ----- attain the capabilities required for the ROK military to lead the war fighting effort by 2015. **Chart 3-1. Organizational chart of the Joint Chiefs of Staff** Korea Defense |Col1|Vice Ch|Col3|airman|Col5|Col6|Col7| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| ||e Chairman Office of Judge Advocate||Combat R Office of Public Affairs Inspectio|||| |Office of th|e Chairman||||Combat R Inspectio|eadiness n Office*| |||||||| |||||||| Intelligence Agency [(]KDIA[)] Central Directorate for Joint Operations [(]J-3[)] Central Directorate for Military Support Central Directorate for Strategic Planning [(]J-5[)] *[ As of 1 January 2013, the JCS Combat Readiness Inspection Office will be deactivated and a National Defense ] Combat Readiness Inspection Group will be established under the Minister of National Defense (MND). **| Organization of Three Services and Forces |** The Army consists of the Army Headquarters (HQs), two Field Army Commands, Operations Command, Capital Defense Command, Special Warfare Command, Army Aviation Operations Command, Army Missile Command, and other supporting units. The organizational chart and forces of the Army are shown in Chart 3-2. **Chart 3-2. Organizational chart and forces of the Army** Logistics Command Command Command Army Training and Doctrine Command [(]TRADOC[)] |Army|Col2|Col3| |---|---|---| |Army||| |ommands (2) ommand (1) s (8)|Capital Defense Army Aviation Command Operations Command Special Warfare Army Missile|| |||Army| Tanks Vehicles / MLRS Troops Field Artillery / MLRS Guided Weapons Helicopters K-2 tank (120mm main gun) **approx. 506,000** **approx. 2,300** **approx. 2,600** **approx. 5,300** **approx. 30** approx. 600 ----- The First and Third Field Armies execute defense missions in their respective frontline area of responsibility (AOR) all the way up to the Military Demarcation Line (MDL). The Second Operations Command (2OC) carries out missions to maintain stability in the rear area and war sustainment capabilities. The Capital Defense Command executes missions to maintain the functions of the capital such as protecting major facilities and municipal infrastructures. Other commands carry out missions pertaining to special warfare, aviation operations, logistics support and education and training. In the future, the Army will maximize the efficiency of its existing forces by first reinforcing those forces required to respond to North Korea’s local provocations while attaining the capability to execute joint operations. As such, the Army will continue to acquire surveillance, strike, and maneuver forces such as reconnaissance UAVs, K-2 tanks, K-21 infantry fighting vehicles, MLRS,[4] and utility and attack helicopters. The Navy consists of the Navy HQs, Naval Operations Command, Marine Corps HQs/Northwest Islands Defense Command (NWIDC), and other supporting units. The organizational chart and forces of the Navy are shown in Chart 3-3. **Chart 3-3. Organizational chart and forces of the Navy** K-21 light infantry vehicle (40mm main gun) **4. Multiple Launch Rocket System** **(MLRS)** A weapon system that launches multiple rockets arrayed in a box-shaped or cylinder type launch pad enabling simultaneous and large quantity fire power Submarine (loaded with heavy torpedoes, underwater-to-surface missiles, mines) **5. Anti-surface operations** Operation to acquire and maintain maritime control using surface combatants, submarines and aircraft or to destroy or neutralize the enemy’s surface force **6. Anti-submarine operations** Operation to guarantee unimpeded use of the sea by destroying or neutralizing enemy submarines **Navy HQs** Naval Operations Marine Corps HQs/ Logistics Command Command NWIDC Naval Education and Fleet Commands [(]3[)] Divisions [(]Brigade[)] 2[(]1[)] Training Command Submarines Surface combatants Auxiliary Vessels Helicopters/ Maritime patrol aircraft **approx. 68,000** **approx. 10** **approx. 140** **approx. 20** **approx. 60** The Naval Operations Command commands overall naval operations and executes anti-surface operations,[5] anti-submarine operations,[6] mine ----- and counter mine operations,[7] and amphibious operations. The Fleet Commands operate surface combatants such as destroyers, frigates, patrol vessels, and Patrol Killer Mediums (PKMs), and carry out defense missions in their responsible waters. The Marine Corps HQs executes wartime amphibious operations as its main mission and the NWDIC[8] carries out peacetime security and defense missions in and around the Northwest Islands. Other commands carry out logistics support and education and training missions. The Navy is focused on reinforcing its capabilities based on the lessons learned from the attack against the ROK Ship Cheonan and plans to transform into a navy that can carry out multi-dimensional underwater, surface, and air operations as one of the pillars for joint operations. In order to achieve this, the Navy will acquire next generation submarines, destroyers (DDX), frigates (FFX), PKMs (PKX), and maritime operational helicopters. The Marine Corps will develop into a force that can readily adapt to carry out a variety of tasks based on situations and missions such as multi-dimensional high-speed landing, rapid response, and ground operations. The Air Force consists of the Air Force HQs, Air Force Operations Command, and other supporting units. The organizational chart and forces of the Air Force are shown in Chart 3-4. **Chart 3-4. Organizational chart and forces of the Air Force** **Air Force HQs** **7. Mine and counter mine operations** Operation to interdict or neutralize enemy naval forces using mines, or to deny the use of mines by the enemy **8. Northwest Islands Defense** **Command [(]NWIDC[)]** Established on 15 June 2011 under the Marine Corps Headquarters to counter North Korean threats towards the five islands that make up the Northwest Islands (Baekryeongdo, Daecheongdo, _Socheongdo, Yeonpyeongdo, Woodo)._ The Marine Corps commandant concurrently serves as the NWDIC commander. Aegis class destroyer (possesses capability to simultaneously execute anti-aircraft, anti-missile, anti-surface, and anti-submarine warfare) F-15K fighter Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) aircraft (Peace Eye) |Col1|Col2| |---|---| |Education and Training Command Logistics Command Command ommands Air Defense Artillery Air Defense and ) Command Control Wing Airlift Wings Training Wing Compos|| Combat Aircraft Air mobility aircraft ISR Aircraft **approx. 65,000** **approx. 460** **approx. 40** **approx. 40** Trainers Helicopters **approx. 190** **approx. 40** ----- **9. Counter Air operations (CA)** Operations to acquire and maintain air superiority by destroying or neutralizing the enemy’s aerospace forces and air defense systems **10. Air Interdiction operations (AI)** Operations to limit the enemy’s reinforcement, resupply and maneuverability by interdicting, harassing, delaying and destroying the enemy’s military capability before this capability is effectively used against the ROK Army and Navy. **11 . Close Air Support operations** **(CAS)** Operations to guarantee the survivability of friendly forces and the successful execution of the military objective by supporting the friendly force’s offensive, counter-offensive or defensive operations through attacks on enemy forces that are engaging the friendly forces in close proximity **12. Flexible Deterrence Options** **(FDOs)** Deterrence options in the CFC Crisis Acton Standard Operating Procedure (CASOP) that need to be promptly executed before an unambiguous warning of war **13. Time Phased Force Deployment** **Data [(]TPFDD[)]** Force deployment list and data of the U.S. augmentation forces required for executing the ROK-U.S. combined operation plans The Air Force Operations Command (AFOC) controls air operations in a centralized manner and carries out counter air,[9] air interdiction,[10] and close air support operations.[11] Northern and Southern Air Combat Commands, under the AFOC’s centralized command, execute decentralized missions in order to defend the airspace of their respective areas of operation. The Air Defense Artillery Command (ADAC) carries out all-directional air defense missions in preparation against air attacks by enemy aircraft and missiles. The Air Defense and Control Wing executes missions such as air control within the ROK theater, air surveillance and aircraft identification, and air support operations. Other commands carry out logistics support and education and training missions. In the future, the Air Force will develop into an aerospace force with increased operational reach capabilities, air superiority, and precision strike capabilities. In order to realize this initiative, the Air Force will acquire next-generation fighters, indigenous Korean fighters, aerial refueling tankers, a reconnaissance intelligence collection system, a Korea Air and Missile Defense system, and a space surveillance system. **| USFK and augmentation forces | USFK consists of the Eighth U.S.** Army (EUSA), the U.S. Naval Forces-Korea, Marine Forces-Korea (MARFOR-K), Special Operations Command-Korea (SOCKOR), and U.S. Air Forces-Korea (USAFK). The USFK Commander serves concur rently as the Commander of the United Nations Command (UNC) and Commander of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC). The organizational chart and forces of USFK are shown in Chart 3-5. The U.S. augmentation forces that will be deployed to support the defense of the ROK in the event of a war consist of approximately 690,000 troops from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines, approxi mately 160 vessels, and approximately 2,000 aircraft. U.S. augmentation forces will be deployed based on Flexible Deterrence Options (FDOs)[12] or the Time Phased Force Deployment Data (TPFDD)[13] depending on the crisis situation. The purpose of the forces that will be deployed based on FDOs is to swiftly deter enemy provocations in a crisis situation before war breaks out on the Korean Peninsula. The purpose of the augmentation forces that will be deployed based on TPFDD is to execute ROK-U.S. ----- operation plans in case deterrence fails. **Chart 3-5. Organizational chart and forces of USFK** **USFK Headquarters** AH-64 (Apache) Attack Helicopter ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) Brigade |Col1|Col2|Col3| |---|---|---| |.S. Army U.S. Naval U.S. Marine Forces- Special Operations U.S. Air Forces-Korea Korea (MARFOR-K) Command Korea (SOCKOR) Korea ( Infantry 19th Expeditionary 35th Air Defense 501st Military U.S. 7th sion Sustainment Command Brigade Intelligence Brigade 65th Medical st th st||| |||st| ATACMS/ Patriot missiles **approx. 40/60** Armored Vehicles **approx. 110** Troops Fighters Attack helicopters **approx. 28,500** **approx. 90** **approx. 20** **approx. 50** **2. Military Readiness Posture** **| Establishing early warning and crisis management systems |** The ROK military maintains a 24-hour surveillance and early warning system on the Korean Peninsula and its adjacent islands including North Korea. In order to maintain this system, the ROK military is maintaining a combined intelligence surveillance system by operating ROK-U.S. combined intelligence assets such as signal and imagery assets and satellites. Additionally, the ROK and the U.S. are jointly identifying and assessing threat indicators such as North Korea’s long-range missile launches and nuclear tests. Furthermore, the ROK military is maintaining a crisis management system to effectively respond to diverse types of threats posed by North Korea and various crisis situations. In particular, the situation reporting and dissemination system was improved after the 2010 attack against the ROK Ship Cheonan and the shelling of Yeonpyeongdo (island), and the crisis management system was reinforced in an overall manner with the ----- introduction of a crisis action manual for different types of enemy provocations and the initiation of a daily, weekly and monthly Planning Decide-Execute (PDE) cycle.[14] The ROK and the U.S. are maintaining a seamless coordination system to manage combined crises by improving the interoperability of the C4I system and carrying out combined crisis management exercises. **| Maintaining readiness posture against infiltration and local** **provocations | North Korea is continuously carrying out provocations** in the West Sea as seen during the 2010 attack against the ROK Ship _Cheonan, shelling of Yeonpyeongdo (island), and the artillery firing into_ the ROK territorial waters in 2011. These armed provocations not only inflicted material damage to the ROK but also took the lives of many military service members and civilians. In particular, the 2010 shelling of _Yeonpyeongdo (island) was not only the first direct attack on the ROK_ territory since the signing of the Armistice Agreement in 1953 but also an indiscriminate artillery shelling of an area mainly resided by civilians. This highlighted the gravity of this provocation. Furthermore, despite the condemnation by the international community, North Korea launched a long range missile in 2012 and is continuing its preparations for another nuclear test. At the same time, North Korea is carrying out non-military provocations such as GPS jamming. As such, considering the changes in the operational environment due to the types of provocations carried out by the North Korean military and the changes in the North Korean military’s force posture, the ROK military has reinforced its military readiness capability and posture by fully equipping its immediate response force and establishing a rapid, precise, and sufficient response posture against enemy provocations while strengthening its readiness posture against threats in the rear area. With the establishment of the Northwest Island Defense Command (NWIDC) on 15 June 2011, the ROK military’s response capabilities in the Northwest Islands area have been strengthened significantly. In particular, efforts were made to reinforce precision surveillance and strike capabilities, the Air Force alert forces, anti-submarine operational capabilities near the NLL, and the fortification of positions to ensure survivability. **14. PDE cycle** Planning-Decide-Execute cycle **C4I Command, Control,** Communications, Computers & Intelligence ----- **The Territory of the Republic of Korea** Ulleungdo 30 August 1953, the NLL Dokdo has been observed as the _de facto maritime boundary_ between South Korea and North Korea. The waters south of the NLL are under East Sea **Northern Limit Line[(]NLL[)]** 38° 37´N 133° 00´E **Military Demarcation Line [(]MDL[)]** **15** **Northern Limit Line(NLL)** 38° 03´N 123° 45´E Ulleungdo Dokdo Anti-submarine training in the northwestern waters West Sea Patrolling of Dokdo Territorial Waters South Sea Marado Patrolling of Marado _Ieodo Ocean Research Station_ *[ Map acquired from the National Geographic Information Institute] ----- In addition, the ROK military established a rapid, precise, and sufficient response posture in order to retaliate against the enemy in a firm manner without hesitation if the enemy launches a provocation. Accordingly, enemy movements are tracked and monitored through the integrated operation of surveillance and reconnaissance assets and the acquired targets are updated on a daily and weekly basis. Also, a tailored response plan that will precisely strike enemy areas and targets in a selective manner has been developed. Furthermore, the ROK military is planning to reinforce the fences in the contact areas, install additional surveillance equipment in blind zones, and establish a technologically advanced security system ahead of schedule in order to strengthen border security. Also, anticipated threats of provocation such as terrorism against key national facilities and cyber attacks have been simulated to support the planning efforts to effectively respond to these threats, and training activities to respond with available assets in an integrated manner against these threats have been strengthened. In particular, an integrated civilian-government-military-police defense posture led by local government heads has been established, and integrated protection trainings at key facilities are being carried out without prior notice. Also, by conducting maneuver training to deal with diverse provocations that could be carried out by North Korea and by strengthening the ROK-U.S. joint response system and training, the ROK military is maintaining a rapid operational readiness posture to immediately retaliate the enemy during a provocation. Also, a thorough readiness posture is being maintained to resolutely safeguard ROK territory, territorial waters and airspace in the East, West and Southern Seas including the five Northwest Islands, as well as _Marado, Ulleungdo, and Dokdo. In particular, the ROK military is_ maintaining a strong readiness posture based on the unwavering resolve to safeguard Dokdo, which is undoubtedly the territory of the ROK in terms of geographical and historical facts and international law. **| Establishing readiness posture against an all-out war | The ROK** military is strengthening its jointness by cultivating the joint operational capabilities of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines in order to deter ----- North Korea’s armed provocations. In addition, based on the ROK-U.S. Alliance, a combined defense system is being maintained in preparation against an all-out war by North Korea. If North Korea starts a war, the ROK-U.S. Alliance will deny North Korea’s surprise attack through its combined early warning system and rapid response measures. At the same time, the ROK-U.S. Alliance will secure the safety and security of the greater Seoul metropolitan area by carrying out precision strikes against North Korea’s key forces such as long range artillery and missiles at the earliest stage of war and seize the initiative within the earliest time possible. In particular, in order to effectively prepare against North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile threats, the ROK government expanded its missile range from 300km to 800km so that it can strike any target or area in North Korea by revising the Missile Guidance with the U.S. in October 2012. Also, through this revision, it is now possible to load up to 2,500kg of payload unto unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) making it possible to equip UAVs with weapons. The ROK military plans to attain compre hensive military response capabilities in order to resolutely prepare against North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats. In order to attain these capabilities, the ROK military is fine-tuning its doctrines so that the combined and joint operational capabilities of the ROK military is maximized, and is regularly carrying out realistic combined and joint exercises and training. Also, a JCS operations support plan has been prepared to guarantee the execution of combined operations plans. In preparation for wartime OPCON transition on 1 December 2015, the ROK military, through coordination with the U.S., is developing operational plans for wartime and peacetime including ROK-U.S. joint operations plans in order to acquire the key military capabilities such as the capability to develop independent theater operations plans. In preparation against North Korea’s war provocation, the ROK and the U.S. plan to transfer the wartime OPCON with a new combined defense system fully emplaced. **| Establishing Rapid Response Mobilization Posture | Mobili-** zation[16] is a key element that guarantees the capability to sustain forces **16. Mobilization** A national level activity to efficiently manage and control national resources such as manpower, materials, goods, and services in times of war or national emergency situations equivalent to war ----- during war by efficiently organizing and gathering available national resources such as manpower, materials, and other resources in order to achieve the war objectives. Accordingly, the ROK government is maintaining a rapid response posture in order to efficiently mobilize available national resources during wartime and national emergencies. The MND improved the national mobilization system by introducing a partial mobilization system in July 2011, which allows the military to carry out partial mobilization before a full mobilization. Accordingly, numerous potential problems associated with carrying out a full mobili zation from the unambiguous warning stage such as limitations in the conditions to prepare for combat at the onset of war, the contraction of the economy due to full mobilization, the depletion of national resources if war does not break out after mobilization, have now been eliminated. Furthermore, the time phased assembly (M+12~24H) method based on the time of mobilization declaration has been improved so that forces can assemble at their designated areas, time, and date after mobilization declaration. Through this improvement, it is now possible to achieve full combat capacity immediately following the mobilization with reserve forces and vehicle owners having better knowledge of the time they need to assemble and with the assembly times of manpower and vehicles being synchronized. Concurrently, the material mobilization system has been improved to accommodate the changes in the social environment and future warfare patterns. First, the vetting process for identifying and deciding mobili zation requirements is expected to be improved with the establishment and operation of an MND mobilization requirement deliberation committee, and the standard for assessing mobilization requirements has been improved to consider the capabilities of production companies and the changes in the physical size of reserve service members. In addition, the ROK military established a peacetime emergency preparation system by holding a ‘government-military conference on mobilization development’ twice a year between the government agencies in charge and the MND, and between the local governments (15 metropolitan cities, provinces) and the units executing mobilization. Vehicles on the move to an assembly area during a mobilization exercise (35[th] Division, May 2012) Government-Military conference on mobilization development (Third ROK Army Command, November 2011) ----- **Integrated Civilian-Government-** **Military-Police Defense Posture** As transnational and non-military threats continue to increase amidst continuous military threats from North Korea, the importance of unified efforts and actions between the civilian sector, government, military and police to prepare for such threats has increased greatly. Accordingly, by taking actions such as amending the relevant laws and regulations, the MND is exerting a variety of efforts to establish an integrated civilian-governmentmilitary-police defense operation posture. **1. Integrated Defense System** With the initiation of the local government system in 1995, the ROK government has been developing the integrated defense system in the direction of expanding the role and functions of the heads of local governments pertaining to homeland defense. The integrated defense system, with the integrated defense headquarters at the center, consists of national defense elements including the central integrated defense committee, regional integrated defense committee, integrated defense support headquarters, regional military commanders, local police commissioners, and national key facilities.[1] The Integrated Defense Headquarters, chaired by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is the supervising organization for integrated defense operations. The Integrated Defense Headquarters establishes and coordinates integrated defense policies, confirms and supervises the integrated defense posture, and carries out overall analysis of the integrated defense operational situation and establishes countermeasures. In addition, it coordinates and controls the planning and implementation of **Section** # 2 **1. National Key Facilities** Facilities that have a significant impact on national security and the livelihood of the public if occupied, destroyed or rendered dysfunctional by the enemy. Public institutions, airports, harbors, transportation facilities related to the military are some of the national key facilities Central Integrated Defense meeting (Blue House, February 2011) ----- **2. Integrated Defense Conditions** A system where phased integrated defense condition levels are declared to respond to enemy infiltration, provocation or the threats incurred by such infiltration or provocation. Levels are classified into ‘Gop-jong,’ ‘Eul-jong’ and ‘Byeong-jong.’ Metropolitan cities and provinces can only declare ‘Eul-jong’ and ‘Byeong-jong.’ - _Gop-jong situation: An emergency_ situation where an enemy with a certain organization is carrying out a large-scale infiltration or WMD are being used. In this situation, integrated defense operations are executed under the control of the head of the integrated defense headquarters or the relevant regional military commander. - _Eul-jong situation: An emergency_ situation where it will be difficult to restore public peace and order within a short period of time due to enemy infiltration or provocation in one or more areas. In this situation, integrated defense operations are executed under the control of the relevant regional military commander. - _Byeong-jong situation: An emergency_ situation where an enemy infiltration or provocation is expected or a small-scale infiltration has occurred, and public peace and order can be restored in a short period of time. In this situation, integrated defense operations are executed under the control of the relevant local police commissioner, military commander, or fleet commander. Regional Integrated Defense meeting (Daegu and Kyeongsangbukdo, March 2012) training plans, and coordinates and consults the execution of missions and tasks with the related integrated defense agencies. Integrated Defense Support Headquarters are located in all adminis trative districts from metropolitan cities and provinces to towns and villages. Integrated defense support headquarters prepares integrated defense regulations and standard operating procedures at the local government level, and establishes and implements support plans for integrated defense operations and training. It also establishes and operates an integrated defense situation room, cultivates and supports national defense elements such as the military, police, reserve forces, local governments and civil defense forces, and establishes local reporting systems at vulnerable integrated defense areas. The Central Integrated Defense Committee is the highest decision making organization pertaining to integrated defense. It is established under the Office of the Prime Minister and deliberates and decides national level integrated defense policies, integrated defense operations and training guidance, and the declaration or lifting of integrated defense conditions.[2] Regional integrated defense committees are located in 17 metropolitan cities and provinces including Seoul and in more than 230 cities, counties, and districts. As regional integrated defense organizations, these committees deliberate and decide integrated defense response plans, the declaration or lifting of integrated defense situations (Eul-jong and _Byeong-jong), various support measures for integrated defense operations_ and training, the designation or removal of vulnerable areas, and efficient training, operation and support plans for national defense elements. Regional military commanders and local police commissioners are the executors of integrated defense operations. Military commanders and police chiefs are appointed as operational commanders when an integrated defense situation is declared and executes integrated defense operations. The ROK government holds regular central integrated defense meetings and regional integrated defense meetings multiple times a year to maintain a robust integrated defense posture by evaluating the progress and results of the integrated defense policies enforced by the government and regional elements and by devising appropriate response measures. ----- **2. Integrated Defense Operation Posture** The ROK government is maintaining an integrated defense operations posture to prepare for enemy infiltrations or provocations during peacetime and to carry out homeland defense operations in the rear area during wartime. As the chairperson of the regional integrated defense committee, heads of local governments can declare an integrated defense situation after deliberation by the regional integrated defense committee. Once an integrated defense situation is declared, the local police commis sioner or military commander of the relevant region is appointed as the operations commander in accordance with the relevant integrated defense laws and regulations. The operations commander executes integrated defense operations by integrating all defense elements in the region and unifying the command relationships. Heads of metropolitan cities and basic local governments establish integrated defense support headquarters and provide support for integrated defense operations. The ROK government is exerting its efforts to establish a flawless regional integrated civilian-government-military-police defense operation posture. First, a rapid response system for contingencies is maintained through the integrated defense situation room. Also, by installing Wide Area Networks (WAN), the ROK government is developing an information sharing system capable of two-way broadcasting and video conferencing between integrated defense situation rooms. In addition, support cells and individuals related to integrated defense are provided with a mission execution chart to ensure their full awareness of measures appropriate to the situation in a realistic and efficient manner. In order to enhance the capabilities required to protect key national facilities, tailored protection plans for each facility have been prepared and reinforcements have been made to surveillance equipment, situation rooms and security facilities. Managers of key national facilities are charged with developing integrated defense plans for their respective facilities and strengthening the level of training by concluding security agreements with the military and police. In order to effectively respond to the diverse security threats that are gradually on the rise, the integrated defense headquarters is improving the integrated defense training system. The integrated defense headquarters National Key Facility Protection Training (August 2011) ----- issues training guidance and, with the relevant central government agency, jointly establishes and operates an integrated observation group. Control and evaluation of training is delegated to each operations commander allowing each subordinate unit to prepare and execute realistic training plans and objectives best suited for the wartime and peacetime missions of the unit. Also, improvements have been made through the Hwarang Exercise since 2009 so that the front area corps of the First and Third ROK Armies, local governments (integrated defense support headquarters at the city, county, and district levels), and police can become proficient with the procedures related to integrated defense situation room operations and the situation actions of the integrated defense support headquarters in preparation against enemy infiltration or provocation. Simultaneously, the MND is continuously refining the relevant integrated defense laws and regulations. The ‘Spy Containment Measures,’ a Presidential Directive, was enacted in December 1967 to efficiently respond to North Korean infiltrations and provocations which were frequent in the 1960s and this Directive was revised as the ‘Integrated Defense Guidance’ in January 1995. Also, as the need for legal bases for integrated defense operations and support arose with the Gangneung submarine infiltration incident in September 1996, the ‘Integrated Defense Law’ was enacted in January 1997. Since then, a total of seven amendments were made to the relevant integrated defense laws and regulations in order to accommodate the changes in the operational environment. In particular, after the 2010 attack on the ROK Ship Cheonan and the shelling of Yeonpyeongdo (island), the ‘Emergency Resources Management Law’ was amended to guarantee the efficiency of integrated defense operations. Accordingly, it is now possible to ‘request the participation of manpower and usage of materials if there is a need to protect the people and property from damage once an integrated defense situation is declared.’ The integrated defense headquarters published the Integrated Defense _Handbook to assist integrated defense personnel in furthering their_ knowledge and understanding of integrated defense operations, tasks and procedures. _Integrated Defense Handbook_ (February 2012) ----- **Development of a Readiness** **Posture against Transnational** **and Non-military Threats** The recent security environment is seeing an increase in transnational and non-military threats such as terrorism, cyber attacks and natural disasters, and these threats, if carried out, will not be manageable by a single agency of a government or a single nation. Especially, if a cyber attack or terrorism is committed on the military, it will have a fatal impact on the national security. Thus, it is imperative for the military to establish resolute response measures to counter these threats above all things. Accordingly, the ROK military is building its response capabilities and posture by strengthening not only the whole-of-government cooperation system but also coordination with the international community to prepare against these newly emerging threats. **1. Maintaining Rapid Response Capabilities and Readiness** **Posture** The ROK military is establishing an immediate response posture against transnational and non-military threats that are currently on the rise such as acts of terrorism, cyber attacks, and large scale disasters. In addition, it is enhancing its response capabilities through information sharing with the related government agencies and joint training and exercises. Interna tionally, the ROK military is participating in efforts to overcome disasters by participating in disaster relief training, as well as supporting and transporting relief personnel and support equipment to disaster sites. As witnessed through recent DDoS[1] attacks on government agency servers, it is assessed that cyber threats against the military will increase in the future. Accordingly, the ROK military established the ROK Defense Cyber Command in January 2010 to counter threats against national **Section** # 3 **1. Distributed Denial of Service [(]DDoS[)]** An act of infringement to interrupt or disable certain information services using random computers. ----- defense intelligence systems. In addition, the ROK military is establishing a proactive and systematic response capability against cyber threats by carrying out various initiatives such as the reorganization of the MND Intelligence Protection Team into a larger Cyber Protection Policy Team in March 2012. Meanwhile, the ROK military is also developing response measures against terrorism. With the need for an in-depth understanding of terrorism, the ROK military published the ‘IED[2] Terror Response Data Book’ in cooperation with the relevant agencies. Considering the importance of initial actions during a real anti-terrorism operation, the ROK military designated an anti-terrorism initial action unit, and strengthened its response capabilities by designating a Chemical, Biological and Radiological (CBR) anti-terrorism special mission unit in preparation against CBR terror. In addition, by holding an anti-terrorism joint tactical discussion session annually, the ROK military is sharing the most recent intelligence on terrorism with government ministries and agencies dealing with terrorism, and is consolidating the cooperation system with these ministries and agencies through productive and meaningful discussions. The experience, knowledge, and coordination system acquired through this process enabled the ROK military to contribute significantly in the success of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships in Daegu in August 2011, the Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul in March 2012, and the International Exposition Yeosu 2012. The ROK military’s support capacity for large scale calamities and disasters is also being strengthened. The ‘Disaster Crisis Response Handbook’ was revised in order to proactively prepare for unexpected large scale calamities and disasters such as localized torrential downpour, landslides, heavy snowfall, and food and mouth disease. In particular, with the large scale black out on 11 September 2011, the ROK military attained the capability to prevent blackouts at all times by establishing a readiness system to prepare against challenges in supplying power, gas, and tap water to key military infrastructures. Regiments and upper echelon units are strengthening the civilian military cooperative response capability by participating in the ‘Safe Korea Exercise’[3] with local governments. **2. Improvised Explosive Device [(]IED[)]** All explosive devices made in an improvised manner using explosive parts, to kill, destroy, or attack a target. **3. Safe Korea Exercise [(]SKX[)]** An exercise carried out annually to strengthen civilian-government cooperation, evaluate the disaster management system, and review the command system. Central government agencies, local governments, public institutions, and other organizations participate in this exercise. Safe Korea Exercise (SKX) (11[th] Fighter Wing, April 2012) ----- The ROK military is exerting its efforts to minimize setbacks in providing public services for the people and protect the right to live a basic life by preventing and preparing against illegal activities of personnel working in key national infrastructures. As such, the ROK military is continuously training and managing military technicians who will be deployed to these infrastructures as replacement personnel. **2. Maintaining a Close Coordination System with the Inter-** **national Community** Transnational and non-military threats such as terrorism, piracy, and large scale natural disasters are not only wide-ranging in terms of how and by whom these acts are carried out, but also extremely broad in terms of the size and damage caused by such threats. In addition, there are many limitations in responding to such threats because the speed in which these kinds of threats travel is extremely fast due to globalization and the rapid spread of data and information, and because forecasting the occurrence of these threats is also very difficult. In order to effectively respond to these newly emerging threats, the ROK government is actively participating in not only bilateral cooperation with individual nations but also in international cooperation systems through multilateral security cooperation forums. The ROK military is participating in government level overseas emergency relief activities in order to support overseas disaster relief activities. For example, the ROK military actively participated in disaster relief activities by providing military transport aircraft, relief materials, and military medical personnel when large scale natural disasters occurred overseas such as the 2008 Sichuan earthquake in China, 2009 typhoon in Cambodia, 2010 earthquakes in Chile and Haiti, and the 2011 earthquake in Japan. The ROK government is also actively involved in the Asia-Pacific region’s efforts centered on multilateral security forums such as the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus) to jointly respond to transnational and non-military threats. In particular, there are expert working groups (EWG) ----- **4. Marine Electronic Highway Project** The ROK signed a Memorandum of Understanding to provide USD 850,000 for the marine electronic highway project which is an integrated maritime security information system designed to provide maritime security in the waters of Southeast Asia, and to jointly carry out the project annually with the International Maritime Bureau. **5. Global Peace Operation Initiative** **(GPOI) Capstone Exercise** A regional level PKO exercise focused on humanitarian activities to enhance PKO capabilities and effectiveness. **6. Cobra Gold Exercise** A multinational peacekeeping exercise focused on humanitarian assistance jointly hosted by the U.S. and Thai militaries since 1981. The seven participating nations are Thailand, Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, the U.S., and the ROK. The ROK Marines participating in the Cobra Gold exercise (Thailand, February 2012) **7. Khaan Quest Exercise** Exercise focused on carrying out training based on the UN standard training model and applying UN PKO guidance and standards. This exercise was initially started as a bilateral exercise between the U.S. and Mongolia in 2006. Currently, it has been expanded to a multinational exercise. **PKO Peacekeeping Operation** working to bring about real cooperation in the five areas under the ADMM-Plus. The EWG was launched in 2010 and includes humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, maritime security, military medical support, anti-terrorism, and peace keeping activities in which the ROK MND is also playing an active role. In addition, the ROK government is strengthening its cooperation with ASEAN nations by providing financial and technical support for various projects such as the piracy information sharing center to attain security in the Strait of Malacca and the Marine Electronic Highway Project.[4] Furthermore, the ROK military is continuously participating in multilateral PKO exercises and training such as the GPOI Capstone exercise,[5] Cobra Gold exercise[6] and the Khaan Quest exercise.[7] The MND is also gradually expanding the level of cooperation with the international community by sharing information on various security threats through regular working level conferences on defense policy hosted by the MND with the defense authorities of each nation, and by carrying out joint exercises and training. As transnational and non-military threats continue to increase, the military’s role is also expected to further expand to counter such threats in the future. As such, the MND will continue to closely work with the international community by actively participating in bilateral and multilateral security cooperation activities. ----- ----- ----- ##### Chapter 4 **Development of the** **ROK-U.S. Alliance and** **Expansion of Defense** **Diplomacy and** **Cooperation** Section 1 Development of a Future-oriented ROK-U.S. Alliance Section 2 Wartime OPCON Transition and Building a New Combined Defense System Section 3 Expansion of Defense Diplomacy and Cooperation Section 4 Contributions to International Peacekeeping Operations 74 82 90 110 |1|Col2| |---|---| |2|| **1 The 44[th] ROK-U.S. SCM** (Washington D.C., October 2012) **2 Minister of National Defense Kim, Kwan Jin** and U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta holding a joint press conference after the 44[th] SCM ----- **Development of a Future-** **oriented ROK-U.S. Alliance** The ROK-U.S. Alliance has deterred North Korea’s military threat for the past 60 years and concurrently contributed greatly to the stability of Northeast Asia. In particular, it served as a robust foundation for the ROK’s rise from the ashes of the Korean War and the ROK becoming a fully industrialized and democratized nation. The ROK-U.S. Alliance is stronger than ever, and it is evolving into a comprehensive strategic alliance beyond a military alliance. **1. Development of a Comprehensive Strategic Alliance** **| Creating the Foundation for a Comprehensive Strategic Alliance |** As global security threats become more complex and diverse, the international community also needs to find new methods that depart from the past to guarantee peace and stability. For this reason, the ROK and the U.S. adopted the ‘Joint Vision for the Alliance of the Republic of Korea and the United States of America’ in 2009 to counter transnational and non-military threats as well as regional and global security challenges, and agreed to develop the relationship to a comprehensive strategic alliance. A comprehensive strategic alliance pursues a value-based alliance that shares common values such as liberal democracy, human rights, market economy, and an alliance of mutual trust in the areas of military, diplomacy, security, economy, society, and culture. Additionally, a comprehensive strategic alliance aims to become a peace building alliance that reaches out beyond the Korean Peninsula to contribute to peace and prosperity of East Asia and the world. In order to develop the defense aspect of the ‘Joint Vision for the **Section** # 1 ----- Alliance of the Republic of Korea and the United States of America,’ the ROK Minister of National Defense and U.S. Secretary of Defense agreed to the ‘Guidelines for ROK-U.S. Defense Cooperation’ at the 42[nd] Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) in 2010 that outlines the future direction for the two countries’ defense relationship. The Guidelines provide future directions for strengthening the combined defense posture on the Korean Peninsula and expanding the strategic contribution towards security in East Asia and the world. With regard to North Korea’s provocation and asymmetric threats, the two nations agreed to establish a ‘Counter Provocation Plan,’ and develop a tailored deterrence strategy to effectively counter North Korea’s asymmetric threat such as weapons of mass destruction (WMD) including nuclear capabilities. **| Towards a Comprehensive Strategic Alliance | During the** ROK-U.S. summit on 26 June 2010, President Lee Myung-bak and President Barack Obama agreed to delay the timing of wartime operational control (OPCON) transition to the ROK government from 17 April 2012 to 1 December 2015. As a result, the ROK Defense Minister and the Defense Secretary approved and signed ‘Strategic Alliance 2015’ at the 42[nd] SCM that would provide a basic framework for wartime OPCON transition. They reaffirmed that the progress of transition will be evaluated and monitored regularly, of which the findings will be reflected throughout the transition process. At the 43[rd] SCM in 2011, the Minister and the Secretary agreed to establish the ‘ROK-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD),’ a senior level policy consultation framework, co-chaired by the Deputy Minister for Defense Policy, MND and the Undersecretary for Policy, Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), to integrate, coordinate, and manage various ROK-U.S. security consultative mechanisms.[1] In accordance with the agreement, important alliance issues, directions for future security cooperation, and guaranteeing the effectiveness of extended deterrence against North Korea’s WMD, including North Korea’s nuclear capabilities, were discussed at the first KIDD meeting held in Washington D.C. in April 2012, and the second meeting in Seoul in September 2012 advanced the ROK-U.S. alliance into a future-oriented alliance. The 43[rd] SCM (Seoul, October 2011) **1. ROK-U.S. Security Consultative** **Mechanisms** **ROK-U.S. SCM** |Korea-U.S. Defense Dia|Integrated logue (KIDD)| |---|---| ||| **Security Policy Initiative [(]SPI[)]** **Committee Deterrence Policy Extended [(]EDPC[)]** The 2[nd] KIDD Meeting (Seoul, September 2012) ----- ROK-U.S. Foreign Affairs and Defense (2+2) Ministerial Talks (Washington D.C., June 2012) ‘Strategic Alliance 2015,’ which focuses on wartime OPCON transition and enhancing the capabilities of the ROK military, and the KIDD play crucial roles in the process of developing the ROK-U.S. alliance into a comprehensive strategic alliance. Held in Washington D.C. on 14 June 2012, the second ROK-U.S. Foreign and Defense Ministers’ Meeting (2+2) has reaffirmed the ‘Joint Vision for the Alliance of the Republic of Korea and the United States of America,’ which was agreed by the two Presidents in 2009, and the alliance’s efforts to respond to the changes in both the U.S. strategy, laid out in U.S. ‘Defense Strategic Guidance’ in 2012, and the global security threats. At the meeting, the ministers agreed that the strong deterrence strategy led by the ROK has been effectively deterring North Korea’s provocation. Also, the two nations agreed to start developing comprehensive response capabilities for the alliance to counter North Korea’s growing missile threat. Furthermore, the ROK Ministers and U.S. Secretaries evaluated that the process of transferring wartime operational control (OPCON) to the Republic of Korea in 2015 was on schedule, and reaffirmed that the United States will maintain its current troop level and is determined to ----- provide bridging and enduring capabilities to the ROK. The Ministers emphasized that North Korea must respect the human rights of its citizens, address humanitarian issues, and invest in the welfare of its people, including nutrition and education. At the same time, the two countries agreed to make efforts to enhance peace and stability in the region and the world through regional mechanisms such as the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), East Asia Summit (EAS), and the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF). At the 44[th] SCM held in 2012, the ROK and the U.S. established a foundation for comprehensive alliance response system to prepare against diverse threats by North Korea. In addition to the existing operational plan (OPLAN) for an all-out war, the ROK and the U.S. decided to develop a Counter-Provocation Plan to jointly deal with North Korean local provocations. It was also agreed that a tailored deterrence strategy will be developed to enhance the effectiveness of extended deterrence against North Korea’s asymmetric threats such as nuclear and WMD threats, and to work towards significantly enhancing the alliance’s counter-missile capabilities. Furthermore, the two countries agreed to fully cooperate in dealing with new threats such as in space and cyberspace domains, and to jointly develop a more efficient command structure that will be applied after the completion of wartime OPCON transition scheduled for 2015. Additionally, the ROK and the U.S. agreed to promote various events in 2013 to commemorate the 60[th] anniversary of the Korean War Armistice and the ROK-U.S. Alliance. They also agreed to initiate a joint study on the ‘Defense Vision of the Alliance,’ set to be completed by 2030, to develop a future-oriented strategic alliance. Through the 44[th] SCM, the ROK and the U.S. upgraded the alliance to a new level that is capable of effectively responding to any North Korean threat, and established a foundation to develop the alliance into a future oriented strategic alliance. The ROK and the U.S. plan to develop the ROK and U.S. Alliance into a comprehensive strategic alliance of the 21[st] Century that goes beyond the Korean Peninsula in order to contribute to peace and stability in the Pacific region and the world. Also, ROK-U.S. alliance security consul ----- tative bodies such as the Foreign and Defense Ministers Meeting, the SCM, and the KIDD will be further developed and concurrently, the agendas and contents discussed by the two nations will be expanded to encompass all areas of mutual interests, thereby further deepening and reinforcing bilateral cooperation. **2. Ensuring Secure Basing of United States Forces** **in Korea (USFK)** **| USFK Realignment | The ROK and the U.S. governments are** consolidating, closing and relocating the U.S. military bases scattered nationwide in order to ensure a balanced development of land and stable stationing conditions for the U.S. forces in the ROK. The USFK base relocation project consists of two plans: the Yongsan Relocation Plan (YRP)[2] and the Land Partnership Plan (LPP)[3] which focus on consoli dating USFK facilities nationwide. The discussions on YRP began in March 1998 and were agreed to by the presidents of the two countries at the ROK-U.S. Summit Meeting in May 2003. With the signing of the YRP Agreement in 2004, the execution of the plan took off in full scale. The Agreement for the LPP was signed in 2002 and was amended in 2004 to incorporate the U.S. 2[nd] Infantry Division into the plan. In March 2007, the ROK and the U.S. agreed on a ‘Facility Master Plan’ that governs the relocation of major USFK bases such as the Yongsan Army garrison and the U.S. 2[nd] Infantry Division to Pyeongtaek, and in November of that year, the two nations held a groundbreaking ceremony in Pyeongtaek. In March 2011, the ROK and the U.S. agreed to complete the construction by 2015 and the realignment by 2016. As of September 2012, land development and the construction of infrastructure such as roads, electricity, gas and waterworks are either completed or in progress. In accordance with the ‘Special Act on Providing Assistance to Pyeongtaek City in Relation to the Relocation of USFK Bases,’ the ROK government is also constructing residential support facilities and amenities including roads, waterworks, sewerage facilities, and town halls for those residents in Pyeongtaek who were displaced due to the relocation. Meanwhile, the ROK and the U.S. are working closely to resolve **2. Yongsan Relocation Plan [(]YRP[)]** This plan is to relocate the UNC/CFC/ USFK Commands to Pyeongtaek. The ‘YRP Agreement’ and its ‘Implementation Agreement (IA)’ were ratified by the National Assembly in December 2004. **3. Land Partnership Plan [(]LPP[)]** This plan spells out the details for consolidating and closing USFK facilities nationwide and for the return of unnecessary facilities and land. A letter of intent was signed during the 33[rd] SCM held in November 2001. The LPP Agreement and its amendment were ratified by the National Assembly in January 2002 and December 2004, respectively. ----- environmental issues in the facilities to be returned in accordance with the ‘Joint Environmental Assessment Procedure’ agreed in March 2009. In the process of realigning USFK bases, a total of 49 USFK installations (approximately 138.04 million m[2]) have been returned as of September 2012 and 31 more are to be returned. (Approximately 40 million m[2] of land.) Once the USFK realignment is completed, 241.98 million m[2] of USFK facilities scattered around the ROK will be consolidated into two areas, one in central ROK and the other in southern ROK, amounting to 76.66 million m[2] of land. The realignment of USFK bases is anticipated to not only guarantee stable stationing conditions, but also enable the ROK people and government to efficiently utilize the returned land. **| Defense Cost Sharing | Defense cost sharing refers to the ROK** government providing financial support for a portion of the stationing costs of U.S. forces in the ROK. Prior to 1990, the U.S. had borne not only the stationing costs but also the construction costs for most of its facilities and installations. With the growth of the ROK economy and national strength, the ROK government, acting in good faith of the alliance, decided to share the costs. Since 1991, the ROK has shared the USFK stationing costs by signing the Special Measures Agreement (SMA)[4] pertaining to Article 5 of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA).[5] There have been eight SMAs from 1991 to 2012. At first, the MND was the lead government agency but since the 6[th] SMA in 2005, the MND has been supporting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MOFAT) in the negotiations. The size of ROK’s share is determined by taking into account various factors, including the ROK’s financial capacity, guaran teeing stable stationing conditions for the USFK, and the USFK’s contri bution to the defense of ROK. The cost shared by the ROK is put into use for financing labor, Military Construction (MILCON) and logistics support projects. As of 2009, the Combined Defense Improvement Project (CDIP), which was included as items of support under defense cost sharing until 2008, has been integrated into MILCON as most of the requirements for CDIP were met. Until 2004, the defense cost sharing funds were paid in both U.S. Dollars and Korean Won, but since 2005, all **4. Special Measures Agreement [(]SMA[)]** SMAs have been concluded every 2 to 5 years since 1991 **SOFA Status of Forces Agreement** **5. Status of Forces Agreement Article 5** **(Facilities and Areas - Cost and** **Maintenance[)]** 1. It is agreed that the United States will bear for the duration of this Agreement without cost to the Republic of Korea all expenditures incident to the maintenance of the United States armed forces in the Republic of Korea 2. It is agreed that the Republic of Korea will furnish facilities and districts for the duration of this Agreement without cost to the United States ----- payments are being made in Korean Won enabling the ROK government to manage a stable budget independent from foreign exchange rate fluctu ations. In accordance with the 8[th] SMA[6] in March 2009, the ROK and the U.S. agreed to reflect the consumer price of two years ago when increasing the annual defense cost sharing amount with a limitation not to exceed a four percent increase. It was also agreed that the payment for MILCON would be made in kind instead of cash, thereby enhancing transparency. In accordance with the 8[th] SMA, the ROK will pay 812.5 billion in Korean Won (KRW) in 2011 (applying an inflation rate of 2.8% in 2009) and 836.1 billion KRW in 2012 (applying inflation rate of 2.9% in 2010). An appropriate level of defense cost sharing between the ROK and the U.S. is crucial in fostering a stable stationing environment for the USFK service members and solidifying the ROK-U.S. combined defense posture. Additionally, monetary support for USFK stationing costs generates demand for equipment, services, and construction from USFK, as well as employment, which in turn contributes to boosting domestic demand and the development of the local economy. **| Strengthening Friendship Activities | The ROK and the U.S.** militaries carry out various programs to strengthen friendship. The MND runs ‘Friends Forever Program’ which is a culture and history introduc tion program provided to the USFK personnel who have been in the ROK for less than a year. The program was initiated in 1972 and since then a total of 17,000 service members took part in the program as of 2011. In 2011, six events took place at locations such as historic palaces in Seoul, the Korea Folk Village, and the ROK Navy Second Fleet as part of this program. In particular, the ‘temple stay’ program, which started for the first time in 2011, received tremendous feedback from the participants as the foremost way to introduce ROK’s traditional culture. Additionally, the participants paid keen interest to the security situation on the Korean Peninsula during their visit to the memorial of the ROK Ship Cheonan. The ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command is enhancing mutual friendship through ‘the Good Neighbor Program’ by carrying out cultural exchange events between the two countries and promoting friendship **6. Effective Period of the 8[th] SMA** 2009-2013 Temple Stay event. The ‘Friends Forever Program.’ ----- activities with the local communities. The Good Neighbor Program is jointly led by the USFK, the ROK component of the Combined Forces Command (CFC), and various ROK-U.S. friendship associations. The USFK runs the Executive Orientation Program, which introduces the role and current tasks carried out by the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command to leaders from the ROK government, the media, businesses sector, and academia. Other activities and events carried out by the USFK include the Good Neighbor English Camp for ROK high school students, the Good Neighbor Award Ceremony in honor of individuals and organizations who dedicated themselves to promoting friendship between the ROK and the U.S., an advisory council for the CFC Commander, and meetings between high school students and war veterans. Exchange programs led by the ROK component of the CFC include, ROK introduction programs for USFK service members, visits to battle sites and military units, tactical discussions, cultural tours, CFC establishment commemoration events, and support activities for various social welfare facilities and local residents. The ROK-U.S. friendship associations composed of former public officials, heads of local governments, and entrepreneurs express their gratitude to the USFK for its contribution to the peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and enhance friendship by hosting various activities such as cultural excursions to industrial facilities and to morale-boosting events. ----- **Wartime OPCON Transition** **and Building a New** **Combined Defense System** The ROK and the U.S. agreed on the transition of wartime OPCON to the ROK government on 1 December 2015. The two countries will establish a strong new combined defense system to deter war on the Korean Peninsula and defend the ROK during contingencies even after OPCON transition. **1. Background and Chronology of Wartime OPCON Transi-** **tion** Discussions between the ROK-U.S. and a joint study on the transition of wartime Operational Control (OPCON) began in the late 1980s. Consequently, it was agreed at the 13[th] ROK-U.S. Military Committee Meeting (MCM) in 1991 to transfer armistice operational control (Peacetime OPCON) sometime between 1993 and 1995, and to commence discussions on the transition of wartime OPCON after 1996. In accordance with this agreement, the armistice OPCON was transferred to the ROK government on 1 December 1994. Since 2000, there has been a growing perception within the ROK society that a stable and steadfast alliance needs to be developed which reflects the growth of the ROK national power and military capabilities, and the changing security environment. At the same time, the U.S. has been pursuing a military reform in order to counter various threats such as terrorism and WMD that have newly emerged since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The transition of wartime OPCON was initiated with the goal of **Section** # 2 ----- improving the combined command structure that can address such changes in the security environment. Wartime OPCON transition was fully initiated with the ROK Minister of National Defense and the U.S. Secretary of Defense agreeing to ‘accelerate discussions on command relations and wartime OPCON Transition’ during the 37[th] ROK-U.S. Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) on 21 October 2005. During the ROK-U.S. Summit on 16 September 2006, the two presidents agreed on the basic principles for wartime OPCON transition, and on 23 February 2007, the Minister of National Defense and the Secretary of Defense agreed on the transfer date of 17 April 2012. Accordingly, the two countries were able to pursue the execution of the wartime OPCON transition initiative in earnest. At the Permanent Military Committee (PMC) meeting on 28 June 2007, the Chairman of the ROK Joint Chiefs of Staff and the SUSMOAK (Senior United States Military Officer Assigned to Korea) signed the ‘Strategic Transition Plan (STP),’[1] which was approved by the ROK Minister of National Defense and the U.S. Secretary of Defense on 7 November 2007 at the 39[th] SCM, and provided a concrete basis for implementing wartime OPCON transition. On the other hand, North Korea committed a series of military provocations including a nuclear test and a long-range ballistic missile launch in 2009 and the attack on the ROK Ship Cheonan in 2010. Additionally, the instability of the North Korean regime was further deepened with the failure of its currency reform and the exacerbation of Kim Jong Il’s ailing health. Also, it was expected that 2012 would be a period of high volatility in terms of politics and security, with leadership changes in several countries in the region including the ROK. Against this backdrop, there was growing public concern that the transition of wartime OPCON should be deferred. Consequently, the ROK government raised the issue of adjusting the timing of wartime OPCON transition to the U.S. government. After close consultation, it was agreed at the ROK-U.S. Summit on 26 June 2010 that the timing of wartime OPCON transition would be readjusted from the 17 April 2012 to 1 December 2015. **1. Strategic Transition Plan [(]STP[)]** An ROK-U.S. strategic document which contains tasks and timelines leading up to wartime OPCON transition. ----- **Chart 4-1. Chronology of OPCON Transition** |Date|Major Content| |---|---| |14 July 1950|President Syngman Rhee transfers OPCOM over the ROK military to the UN Commander.| |17 November 1954|OPCON over the ROK military delegated to the UNC Commander.2| |7 November 1978|CFC is established; OPCON is transferred to the CFC Commander.| |1 December 1994|Peacetime operational control of the ROK military is transferred to the ROK Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.| |16 September 2006|Agreement on wartime OPCON transition at the ROK-U.S. Summit Talks.| |23 February 2007|ROK Minister of National Defense and U.S. Secretary of Defense agree on the timing (17 April 2012) of wartime OPCON Transition.| |28 June 2007|ROK-U.S. agree on the Strategic Transition Plan| |26 June 2010|ROK-U.S. Summit Talks in which the two nations agree to adjust the timing of transition to the end of 2015.| |8 October 2010|ROK-U.S. agree on ‘Strategic Alliance 2015’| Following the agreement, the two countries agreed to adopt ‘Strategic Alliance 2015’[3] at the Foreign and Defense Ministers Meeting (2+2) on 21 July 2010. Subsequently, the ROK Minister of National Defense and the U.S. Secretary of Defense signed the ‘Strategic Alliance 2015’ at the 42[nd] SCM in October 2010, which provides a comprehensive guidance to project the new alliance as a joint strategic vision by 2015. In order to promote a seamless transition of wartime OPCON, the Ministry of National Defense, placed the ‘Wartime OPCON Transition Group’ under direct supervision of the ROK JCS Chairman effective 1 January 2012, and established the ‘New Combined Defense Transfor mation Group’ by merging the ‘Wartime OPCON Transition Group’ and the ‘High-Echelon Command Structure Transformation Group’ on 21 March 2012. **2. Significance of Wartime OPCON Transition** With the transition of wartime OPCON on 1 December 2015, the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC) will be disestablished and the military structure of the ROK-U.S. Alliance will transform from the CFC-led system into a new combined defense system where the ROK JCS leads and the U.S. KORCOM[4] supports. **2. OPCON over the ROK military** **delegated to the UNC Commander** To guarantee the defense of the ROK by UN forces even after the Armistice Agreement was signed, the ROK and the U.S. agreed to place the ROK military under the OPCON of the UNC Commander to guarantee the defense of the ROK by UN forces. **3. Strategic Alliance 2015 [(]SA 2015[)]** A comprehensive ROK-U.S. strategic document which includes military measures and development plans for alliance issues leading up to the transition of wartime OPCON in 2015. SA 2015 replaced the existing STP. **4. U.S. KORCOM** A U.S. combat command to be established under a new combined defense system on the Korean Peninsula after the transition of OPCON, succeeding the USFK. ----- **Chart 4-2. Alliance Military Structure after Wartime OPCON Transition** **Current Combined Defense System** **New Combined Defense System** **ROK MND** **SCM** **U.S. DoD** **ROK MND** **SCM** **U.S. DoD** **ROK-U.S.** **Functions** **ROK MND** **SCM** **U.S. DoD** **ROK JCS** **MC** **U.S. JCS** **CFC** **ROK-U.S.** **Component** **Commands** **ROK MND** **SCM** **U.S. DoD** **MC** **U.S. JCS** **ROK JCS** **(Supported)** **U.S. KORCOM** **Military** **(Supporting)** **Coordination** **for Units and** **Functions** **Operations** **Component** **Commands** **Commands** The current combined defense system is a unified command structure where the Commander of the CFC operationally controls designated forces of both the ROK and the U.S. militaries upon declaration of DEFCON-III. However, in the new combined defense system, the ROK JCS will lead with the U.S. KORCOM in the supporting role. The ROK JCS and the U.S. KORCOM will have military coordination elements across all units and functions. The significance of wartime OPCON transition is as follows. First, it will provide an opportunity for the ROK-U.S. Alliance to develop into a comprehensive strategic alliance. A comprehensive strategic alliance will contribute to the ROK leading the defense of the Korean Peninsula thereby building a new cooperative security order in the East Asia region for peace and coexistence, and expand the ROK-U.S. partnership. Based on this shared consensus, the ROK and the U.S. are in the process of restructuring the alliance through the transition of wartime OPCON. Second, wartime OPCON transition will enhance the ROK armed forces to become a stronger, more combat-oriented military. Wartime functions executed by the CFC will be transferred to the ROK JCS, which means that the JCS will have command and control over both peacetime and wartime operations. As such, the Chairman of the ROK JCS will be a theater commander during wartime and will be responsible for leading combined operations. To conduct such roles, the ROK military is dedicating its efforts to strengthen jointness around the JCS. Third, the status of the ROK military will be enhanced both at home and ----- abroad, as it will possess the capabilities to be responsible for its own security of the Korean Peninsula. The ROK military will take the leading role in establishing and developing a theater level operational plan (OPLAN), and executing ground, naval, and air operations, along with the U.S. forces. **3. Progress of Wartime OPCON Transition** Based on the ‘Strategic Alliance 2015,’ the ROK and the U.S. are systematically implementing wartime OPCON transition in the areas of organization, capabilities and systems, exercise, and certification in order to facilitate the process. In order to facilitate the transition of wartime OPCON, the ROK and the U.S. are operating a whole-of-government ROK-U.S. combined implementation governance system, which includes not only the military aspects, but also alliance issues, as shown in Chart 4-3. The governance system is composed of three subcommittees: Military Transition, Plans and Policy, and Alliance Management. Each subcommittee has consul tative meetings at the working and colonel levels, and the implementation status of related tasks is regularly evaluated by consultative bodies: the subcommittee, Steering Committees, Joint Working Group, the MCM, and the SCM. **Chart 4-3. Monitoring System for Combined Implementation for SA 2015** Military Field Alliance Issue **SA 2015 Secretariat** |SC|CM for Implementation|Col3|Col4| |---|---|---|---| |M/ Joint W ent MC Gro Coordi Comm|Information sharing and orking coordination SOFA up Joint Committee nation ittee and Policy Alliance Management mittee Subcommittee||| |||SOFA Joint Committee|| ||||anagement mittee| |ransition Planning mittee Subcom|||| ----- The ROK JCS, as shown in Chart 4-4, manages and coordinates the implementation tasks and integrates the relevant efforts through a working level evaluation meeting presided by the Director of the New Combined Defense Transformation Group (monthly) and an implemen tation evaluation meeting (quarterly) chaired by the Chairman of the ROK JCS. **Chart 4-4. The JCS Implementation System under SA 2015** **Implementation** **Chairman ROK JCS** **Evaluation Meeting** **Director General** **(Quarterly)** **Head, New Combined** **Working Level** **Defense Transformation** **Evaluation Meeting** **Working Level Staff** **Group** **(Monthly)** **Combined Military** Coordination **Division Responsible** **Coordination Group** Control **for Task** The progress of each area is summarized below. **| Organization | The organizational aspect involves reorganizing the** structure of the ROK JCS to enable the ROK JCS to lead theater level operations on the Korean Peninsula and to establish a new alliance command structure that will allow smooth cooperation between the ROK and the U.S. In particular, the new alliance command structure will be vital in maximizing the efficiency of combined operations after wartime OPCON transition. During the 44[th] SCM held in October 2012, both the ROK and the U.S. agreed that a command structure that can maintain the efficiency of the combined operational command structure of the current CFC even after wartime OPCON transition where the ROK will be leading the operations would be needed. Accordingly, a joint working group will be formed to study options for a future command structure and certify the effectiveness of such options during UFG exercises between 2013 and 2015. **| Capabilities and Systems | This is an area to acquire alliance** military capabilities[5] to conduct theater level operations and to establish **5. Alliance Military Capabilities** Comprehensive capability of ROK core military capabilities and U.S. bridging and enduring capabilities ----- a combined operations execution system. The ROK, which will be leading the Korean Peninsula theater operations, and the U.S., which will be supporting, are acquiring necessary capabilities through close consul tation. The military capabilities of the ROK and the U.S. will be briefed each year during the MCM and the SCM until the transition of wartime OPCON. **| Exercise and Certification | In June 2011, the ROK and the U.S.** agreed on the exercise and certification methods that will enable the ROK to attain the capabilities required to lead a combined exercise. To this end, the ROK and the U.S. will apply the command structure for post-OPCON transition during UFG exercises from 2013 to 2015 and validate the results. Additionally, the ROK JCS is constructing new Opposing Forces (OPFOR) simulation facilities and the Joint War fighting Simulation Center (JWSC) at the ROK JCS, as part of a plan to establish an infrastructure for a combined exercise system. Starting from UFG 2013, certification will be comprehensively conducted in phases in the areas of organization, personnel, training, resources, planning, procedures, and capabilities of the ROK JCS and the U.S. KORCOM. An ROK-U.S. Combined Certification Team will be established to evaluate the implementation progress at each stage and report the final certification result at the SCM in 2015. **| Plans | The ROK and the U.S. aim to complete an OPLAN, which** incorporates countermeasures for both low-intensity provocations and an all-out war before wartime OPCON transition. The ROK and the U.S. are concurrently developing a plan to counter local provocations and an OPLAN which will be executed during war after OPCON transition. These new OPLANs will be used during military exercises from 2013 and after updating any shortcomings, the final plans will be completed before December 2015. **| Strategic Documents | In accordance with the ‘Strategic Alliance** 2015,’ the ROK and the U.S. are drafting the ‘Terms of Reference (TOR)’[6] and ‘Strategic Directive[7] No. 3,’ which will be incorporated after OPCON transition. These documents will be implemented into the UFG **6. Terms of Reference** Overarching strategic document, containing the strategic guidance given by the ROK-U.S. Defense Minister and Secretary of Defense at the SCM and ordered to the MC. **7. Strategic Directive** A strategic document, specifying strategic orders based on the TOR given from the MC to theater command. ----- exercises from 2013 to 2015 and any shortcomings to the documents will be revised. These documents, once signed at the MCM and SCM in 2015, will go into effect on 1 December 2015. **| Alliance Issues | Important alliance issues include the realignment** of USFK and strategic communications.[8] The realignment of USFK is implemented in two parts: the first is the ‘Yongsan Relocation Plan (YRP)’and the other is the ‘Land Partnership Plan (LPP)’ aimed at consol idating USFK facilities scattered all over the ROK. Coordination meetings for strategic communications are held every six months to update important agenda and messages, and a detailed quarterly implementation plan and evaluation system have been established. **4. The Way Ahead** With the set goal of 1 December 2015, the ROK military aims to fully equip itself with the ability to lead theater level operations on the Korean Peninsula before the transition of wartime OPCON. To this end, the ROK and the U.S. have established the foundation for wartime OPCON transition by 2012 in accordance with the ‘Strategic Alliance 2015,’ and will assess and certify the mission capability of the ROK JCS and the U.S. KORCOM at each level from 2013 to 2015 and address any shortfalls. Additionally, the ROK military will operationalize the Allied Korean Joint Command & Control System (AKJCCS), which is an essential requirement for the ROK JCS to lead theater level operations, complete a new theater OPLAN, and establish a new combined defense system that will maximize the efficiency of military operations. **8. Strategic Communications** A whole-of-government effort to take the lead in shaping a favorable security environment and achieve the goals by utilizing the plans, themes, messages and activities that have been established through close integration of the elements of national power. ----- **Expansion of Defense** **Diplomacy and Cooperation** The Ministry of National Defense (MND) is enhancing its exchange cooperation with Japan, China, and Russia by building upon the foundation provided by the ROK-U.S. Alliance, thereby promoting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia. The MND is expanding the boundaries of defense diplomacy from Northeast Asia to the global arena, including Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. It is contributing to global peace and security by actively participating in multilateral security consultative bodies and international conventions. **1. Defense Exchanges and Cooperation with Neighboring** **Countries** **| Exchange and Cooperation with Japan | As allies of the United** States, the Republic of Korea and Japan[1] share the same basic values of liberal democracy and a market economy. Based on this, they have continued to raise the level of cooperation in various areas. However, the different historical perspective held by Japan, and its unjust claim over _Dokdo, which is ROK sovereign territory, remain factors that must be_ overcome to ensure the development of future-oriented defense exchanges and cooperation between the two countries. The defense authorities of the two nations have held regular Defense Ministers’ Meeting since 1994. At the 14[th] Defense Ministers’ Meeting held in 2009, the defense authorities of the two countries signed the ‘Letter of Intent on Defense Exchanges between the Republic of Korea and Japan.’ At the 15[th] Defense Ministers’ Meeting held in Seoul in January 2011, the Ministers agreed that substantial progress had been made in various areas of defense cooperation. Also, the ministers agreed to initiate a **Section** # 3 **1. Development of ROK-Japan** **Relationship** - 21[st] century ROK-Japan Joint Partnership (1998) - Future-oriented ROK-Japan relationship (2005) - Future-oriented mature partnership (2008) _Dokdo is undoubtedly the ROK’s territory_ in terms of geography, history, and international law. The 15[th] ROK-Japan Defense Ministers’ Meeting (Seoul, January 2011) ----- working level dialogue with the goal of signing an agreement that will serve as an institutional foundation in developing an ROK-Japan military relationship in a future-focused direction. At the Vice Ministers’ Meeting held in November 2011, the vice ministers shared a view that defense cooperation needs to be reinforced for the stability of the Korean Peninsula and improved relationship between the ROK and Japan, and sought ways to expand defense exchange cooperation. Additionally, senior level exchanges were activated in 2011 where the ROK Chairman of the JCS and the Chief of Naval Operations visited Japan and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Chief of Staff visited the ROK. The two nations also hold working- level talks, such as the Defense Policy Talks, 2+2 Security Policy Dialogue (foreign affairs and defense) to enhance mutual understanding and expand the scope of cooperation. Also, personal exchanges take place actively between the ROK Army, Navy, and Air Force with each respective Japanese Self Defense Forces counterpart, including working-level meetings, exchanges among units, exchange visits of cadets, and exchange of military students for overseas studies. Recently, the two nations have been expanding exchanges and cooperation in defense arena to include the ROK-Japan maritime search and rescue exercises, reciprocal visits between transport aircraft, and mutual cooperation in international peacekeeping activities. In the future, the MND will solidify the existing military trust and ties with Japan and will strive to further develop the relationship as a ‘future oriented and mature partnership’ as provided at the ROK-Japan Summit in April 2008. **| Exchange and Cooperation with China | With 2012 being the 20[th]** anniversary of diplomatic relations between the ROK and China, the ROK-China relationship[2] has seen rapid progress in many different areas, such as the political, economic, social, and cultural fronts. In May 2008, the relationship between the two nations was elevated to a ‘strategic cooperative partnership,’ leading to active defense cooperation and exchange. At the Asia Security Summit in June 2011, the ROK Minister of National Defense Kim, Kwan Jin and the Chinese Defense Minister Liang **2. Development of ROK-China** **Relationship** - Friendly cooperative relationship (1992) - Cooperative partnership (1998) - Comprehensive cooperative relationship (2000) - Comprehensive cooperative partnership (2003) - Strategic Cooperative Partnership (2008) ----- Guanglie exchanged views on the security situation of the Korean Peninsula. During the Defense Ministers’ Meeting in July 2011, the ministers shared that the ‘two countries object to any actions that disrupts the peace and stability in the region’ and agreed to establish a vice minister level strategic dialogue. In accordance with this agreement, the first Defense Strategic Dialogue between the ROK Vice Minister and People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Deputy Chief of the General Staff was held in Seoul in the same month. In this meeting, views were exchanged with regard to the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and ways to improve defense cooperation and exchange. In the second Defense Strategic Dialogue held in 2012 in Beijing, the two countries signed the ‘Memorandum of understanding (MOU) on ROK-China Defense Exchange Cooperation’ and agreed on substantial cooperative measures such as installing a hotline between the two ministries. During the ROK-China Logistics Cooperation Meeting in October 2011 and July 2012, the two countries discussed the issue of signing the ‘MOU on Mutual Support for Disaster Relief,’ and talks are held between all military services. Exchange visits by naval vessels, military sports teams, and military history and training institutions have also been very active. In particular, ROK Naval Academy midshipmen made a port call to China during a cruise training and ROK-China academic seminars were held to commemorate the 20[th] anniversary of diplomatic relations. In the future the defense ministries of the two nations will gradually expand to cooperative partnership and will contribute to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia. **| Exchange and Cooperation with Russia | Since the normalization** of diplomatic ties in 1990, the relationship between the ROK and Russia[3] has improved in a wide array of areas such as politics, economy, energy, science and technology. Since the promotion of the two countries’ relationship to a ‘strategic cooperative partnership’ level in 2008, the ROK and Russia are strengthening their cooperation to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue and to develop energy resource opportunities. For example, the construction of gas pipe lines running from Russia, North Korea and to the ROK with the November 2011 Moscow Summit, Nuclear Security Summit of March 2012, and the September 2012 The 2[nd] ROK-China Defense Strategic Dialogue (Beijing, July 2012) **3. Development of ROK-Russia** **Relationship** - Constructive and mutually complementary partnership (1994). - Comprehensive partnership of mutual trust (2004). - Strategic cooperative partnership (2008). ----- Vladivostok Summit. The two countries are stepping up the level of cooperation and exchange in the area of defense and security through senior level exchange visits and cooperation in the defense industry and technology sectors. In particular, a strategic dialogue held in March 2012 between the ROK Deputy Minister for Defense Policy and the Russian Deputy Minister of Defense for International Cooperation was a turning point in invigorating defense exchanges between the two countries. In this first-ever ROK-Russia Defense Ministry strategic dialogue, the two countries agreed to hold defense strategic dialogues on a regular basis and reaffirmed Russia’s constructive role and commitment to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. Additionally, continued exchange visits by senior military leaders such as visits to Russia by the ROK JCS Chairman and the ROK Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force, and a visit to the ROK by the Russia Eastern Military District Commander will be pursued. Through JCS Chief Director level dialogues and joint military committee meetings, the two nations are also enhancing mutual understanding and are continuing to develop their military cooperation relationship at the working level. Exchanges between the units and educational institutions are also actively taking place such as unit exchanges between the FROKA (First ROK Army) and the Russia’s Far Eastern Military District Command, and Russia’s General Staff College visit to the ROK. Since 1994, ROK officers have been receiving education in Russia, and Russia is planning to send military officers to ROK military educational institutions based on mutual agreements. The ROK and Russia will endeavor to expand defense exchange cooperation, thereby contributing to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and the East Asia region as well as enhancing friendship between the two countries. ROK-Russia Defense Strategic Dialogue (Moscow, March 2012) ----- **2. Defense Exchanges and Cooperation with Countries out-** **side the Region** **| Southeast Asia and Oceania | Under the banner of ‘New Asia** Diplomacy,’[4] the ROK government is enhancing its relationship with Asian countries and promoting co-prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region. At the same time, the ROK is strengthening its strategic engagements with the ASEAN[5] countries to increase security cooperation, obtain support for its North Korea policy, and to obtain energy and natural resources. Additionally, the ROK government is actively promoting military diplomacy in the area of senior officers’ exchange visits, defense industry cooperation and export, information sharing meetings, and various other routine dialogues. Furthermore, the ROK is also pursuing a number of defense cooperative initiatives in Oceania with Australia and New Zealand. President Lee Myung-bak had a summit meeting with President Yudhoyono of Indonesia in December 2010. In this meeting, the two Presidents agreed to strengthen close and substantive cooperative relationships by working together in defense industry areas such as joint production and technology transfer of major military equipment. In 2011, the ROK – Indonesia Defense Ministers’ Meeting was held on two occasions. In February and September, the two ministers reinforced both countries defense cooperation by discussing ways to promote defense industry cooperation, agreeing on the export of the T-50 advanced jet trainer and submarines, and signing the ‘MOU on the Establishment of Defense Industry Cooperation Committee.’ In March 2011, the defense ministers of the ROK and the Philippines signed an ‘MOU on Defense Cooperation’ and discussed the establishment of a regular dialogue body and exchange visits of senior military officers. In April, the defense ministers of the ROK and Thailand agreed to establish an institutional framework for defense cooperation and to join efforts in the defense industry area including military trucks. Such dialogues led to the signing of an ‘MOU on Defense Cooperation’ between the ROK and Thailand in March 2012. At the ROK – Vietnam Foreign Affairs and Security Strategic Dialogue in April 2011, the two countries discussed ways to enhance senior military **4. New Asia Diplomacy** A policy direction which aims to expand the ROK diplomatic activities beyond the four major powers towards nations in Asia including Southeast Asia, Southwest Asia, Central Asia and South Pacific, and strengthen friendship and cooperation with these nations. *[ Its goal is to develop a comprehensive ] cooperative relationship with Asian countries in all sectors including political, economic, security and social areas, thereby takes a leading role in resolving global issues such as global financial crises and climate changes. **5. Association of Southeast Asian** **Nations [(]ASEAN[)]** An association established in 1967 consisting of ten countries from Southeast Asia (Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia) with the aim of promoting joint security and regional cooperation. It is being developed into a comprehensive regional cooperative framework including politics, security, economy, society, and culture. ROK-Indonesia Defense Ministers’ Meeting (Jakarta, September 2011) ----- personnel exchanges, expand academic exchanges, and invigorate military training and education exchanges, and agreed to upgrade the Defense Policy Working Level Dialogue to a Vice Minister Level Strategic Dialogue. Following the agreement, the first ROK-Vietnam Vice Minister level Defense Strategic Dialogue was held in Hanoi in March 2012 where the vice ministers agreed to reinforce cooperation in high-level educational cooperation, work towards signing an ‘MOU on Quality Guarantees,’ and to hold Defense Strategic Dialogue annually in rotation. In accordance with the agreement made at the ROK – Australia Summit in April 2011, the first Defense Ministers’ Meeting was held in Canberra in December 2011. The ministers agreed to expand defense cooperation and coordinate efforts for peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region. In addition, through the signing of an ‘MOU on Defense Cooperation,’ the institutional groundwork for further cooperation and exchange was established, and the ministers agreed to specify the level and scope of cooperation for each area. The first ROK – Australia Defense Ministers’ Meeting served as an opportunity to further develop the defense cooperation in enhancing security on the Korean Peninsula and in the Asia-Pacific region. In April 2011, the Defense Ministers of the ROK and New Zealand discussed the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia. The ministers also agreed to pursue a ‘General Security of Military Information Agreement’ (GSOMIA) that is consistent with the interests of each nation, and to enhance the level of defense cooperation. The two ministers also discussed ways to strengthen defense industry cooperation through ROK companies’ participation in New Zealand’s oil-tanker replacement project. **| Southwest Asia | The ROK government is enhancing its defense** exchange and cooperation with Southwest Asian nations such as India and Pakistan through exchange visits by National Defense University graduate students, sponsored education programs, and Naval Academy cruise training visits. Following the March 2012 ROK-India Summit, the two countries agreed to expand defense cooperation befitting their strategic partnership, and to actively promote future-oriented defense cooperation for peace and ROK-Vietnam Vice Minister Level Strategic Dialogue (Hanoi, March 2012) ROK-Australia Defense Ministers’ Meeting (Canberra, December 2011) ----- stability of the Asia-Pacific region and maritime security. The ROK and India will reinforce cooperation between the two navies for the maritime security of the Indian Ocean, which is an important sea-lane of communication, and promote comprehensive cooperation in the area of security and defense industries. To this end, India established an Indian Defense Attaché Office in the ROK in September 2012. **| The Middle East | The Middle East is a critical region for securing** energy resources, exporting defense industry equipment and products, and carrying out large-scale government projects. The MND is strength ening its defense exchange and defense industry cooperation with the countries of the Middle East. In January 2012, the Deputy Minister for Defense Policy of ROK MND met the Defense Minister of Saudi Arabia and other senior military leaders and agreed to promoting defense cooperation and holding regular senior level dialogues. The ROK government reopened its Defense Attaché Office in Saudi Arabia that had been closed for twenty years. In February 2012, the ROK President met with the Defense Minister of Saudi Arabia during his tour of three Middle East Countries and Turkey. The ROK and Saudi Arabia agreed to comprehensively expand cooperation in the area of defense and defense industries. In particular, the two countries agreed to establish a cooperation mechanism for the exchange of defense ministers and defense cooperation. The ROK deployed the Akh Unit to the United Arab Emirates to provide support for training UAE special warfare units and to conduct joint training and exercises. In addition, training exchanges with the ROK Special Warfare Command are being actively pursued in special warfare areas requested by the Middle East countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain. Meanwhile, with the request from Libya, the ROK sent the ‘ROK Support Team for Identification of Missing Libyan Nationals’ to provide support in excavating and verifying identity of missing people from the Libyan civil war. Such expansion of defense cooperation with the Middle East countries not only contributes to strengthening the security cooperation between the nations, but also increases economic cooperation and energy diplomacy in the private sectors. ROK Deputy Minister for Defense Policy’s Courtesy Call to the Defense Minister of Saudi Arabia (Riyadh, January 2012) ----- **| Europe | The MND is deepening and advancing its defense** exchanges and cooperation with major west European countries, who have traditionally maintained friendly and cooperative relationships with the ROK, while extending defense cooperation with east and north European countries. The United Kingdom is an important country in Europe that fought as an ally during the Korean War and maintained a friendly and cooperative relationship ever since. During the ROK – UK Vice Ministers’ Meeting in April 2011, the Vice Minister of the ROK Ministry of National Defense expressed gratitude for the UK fighting on the ROK side during the Korean War and supporting the ROK’s position after North Korea’s surprise attack against the ROK Ship Cheonan and the shelling of Yeonpy _eongdo (island). In particular, the two vice ministers had an in-depth_ discussion on cooperation in the area of defense industries. Germany has maintained a close cooperative relationship with the ROK in terms of defense industry and military education. At the ROK – Germany Defense Working Level Dialogue in November 2011, the two countries assessed the security situation in the Northeast Asia region and discussed ways in which the two countries can cooperate and exchange in the areas of overseas deployment and defense reform. They also agreed to conclude an ‘MOU on mutual logistics support.’ In June 2011, an ROK – Sweden Defense Ministers Meeting was held. The ministers agreed to establish a regular director-general level dialogue, and at this regular framework, agreed on sending a Swedish professor to the ROK PKO Center at the National Defense University. Consequently, a full-time Swedish professor was appointed to the ROK PKO Center in December 2011. In addition, the first director general level ROK – Sweden Defense Policy Working Level Meeting was held in October 2011. The two countries agreed on the institutional framework of future meetings such as agenda for defense cooperation and exchange and the frequency of the meetings, as well as making an assessment on the implementation status of defense exchange cooperation and the existing MOUs. In July 2012, the Vice Minister of National Defense toured France, Spain, and Turkey to promote defense diplomacy and explained the ROK’s North Korea policy. During the Vice Ministers’ Meeting with France, the ROK-Sweden Defense Policy Working Level Dialogue (Seoul, October 2011) ----- two countries agreed that defense cooperation should be improved, and the ROK Vice Minister invited his French counterpart to visit the ROK. In the meeting with the Vice Minister of Spain’s defense ministry, the two vice ministers agreed to sign a ‘Mutual Logistics Support Agreement’ before the end of 2012, and to hold the 5[th] Defense Policy Working Level Meeting in Seoul in the first half of 2013. During the Vice Minister’s visit to Turkey, the Turkish side expressed its desire for continued cooperation in defense exchanges and in the defense industry sector. In return, the ROK Vice Minister emphasized the importance of personnel exchange and invited the Turkish Deputy Minister of Defense to Seoul. Poland contributes to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula as a member of the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission (NNSC). Defense cooperation with Poland is being promoted since the signing of a ‘General Security of Military Information Agreement’ in September 2009. **| Central Asia | Most Central Asian countries after gaining their** independence from the former USSR became part of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).[6] The region in which the CIS is located covers a vast area, spanning from the Central Asian region bordering China to the region that borders Europe. Among these countries, the five Central Asian countries have achieved overall political stability and economic growth through the process of organizing their national institu tions since their independence two decades ago. The year 2012 marks the 20[th] anniversary of ROK’s diplomatic ties with all of the Central Asian countries and significant progress has been made for cooperative relationships in the defense areas. The ROK and Kazakhstan signed an ‘MOU on Defense Cooperation and Exchange’ in September 2010, and held the first Defense Policy Working Level Dialogue in Astana, Kazakhstan in November 2011 that established the groundwork for further cooperation in the defense area. With Uzbekistan, an ‘MOU on Defense Industry and Logistics Support’ was signed in 2010 and the Defense Policy Working Level Dialogue was held in Seoul in 2011 that strengthened the cooperative relations by expanding the opportunities for the ROK defense industries to enter the Uzbekistan market. Cooperation and exchange are also taking place and are being expanded with Mongolia into various areas including personnel exchange, **6. Commonwealth of Independent** **States [(]CIS[)]** A political union established after the collapse of the USSR by 11 nations that formerly were a part of the Soviet Union. ROK-Kazakhstan Defense Policy Working Level Dialogue (Astana, November 2011) ----- education, academics, and participation in the ‘Khaan Quest.’ The military and education exchange with the Central Asian states have significance in the sense that they are future oriented cooperation. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan send their officers to the ROK military educational institutions for language and military education. **| Africa | The African continent is receiving a significant amount of** international attention as a rich repository of natural and energy resources. The ROK government is expanding defense cooperation with the African states in the perspective of resources and security initiatives. In 2010, MND officials, as members of the government on-site investi gation team, were sent to Gabon and Equatorial Guinea in West Africa to discuss defense industry cooperation and logistics material export opportunities with senior ranking military officials. In September 2011, a defense cooperation envoy visited the Republic of South Africa, Nigeria and Ethiopia for the first time to discuss the signing of an ‘MOU on Defense Cooperation,’ cooperation in defense industries, and expanding education programs for African officers. Such efforts to create a foundation for defense diplomacy resulted in the signing of an ‘MOU on Defense Cooperation’ with Gabon in October 2011. This was the first MOU of its kind with an African nation. **| Americas | Despite the geographical distance, the ROK is actively** promoting defense exchange and defense industry cooperation with the Americas. Defense cooperation is being expanded by holding regular defense meetings with various countries in the region and reinforcing senior level personnel exchanges. During the ROK-Canada Defense Policy Working Level Dialogue in December 2010, the two countries discussed regular exchange of trainees and cooperation in arms control, and agreed to cooperate in peacekeeping operations. In July 2011, the Vice Minister of National Defense toured Colombia, Peru, and Haiti and encouraged the ROK Danbi Unit involved in the reconstruction of Haiti and other UN personnel. Colombia is the only country in South America that fought for the ROK in the Korean War. At the ROK-Colombia Vice Defense Ministerial Meeting, the two Vice ----- Ministers agreed to expand defense cooperation and establish a joint committee for cooperation in defense science and technology and defense industry. It was also agreed that the ROK would dispatch a Taekwondo instructor to the Colombian Military Academy. In April 2012, the defense ministers of the ROK and Peru discussed the export of the KT-1 trainer, and agreed to hold regular director general-level meetings. **3. Multilateral Security Cooperation** Multilateral security cooperation is carried out to find ways to resolve security issues such as building mutual confidence and preventing disputes through dialogue and cooperation. In particular, a single country on its own would find it extremely difficult to deal with transnational and non-military security threats such as international piracy, terrorism, and large-scale natural disasters, and therefore the need for multilateral security cooperation is increasing. Likewise, more and more multilateral security related consultative frameworks are being formed in the Asia-Pacific region. Although there had not been a ministerial level defense and security consultative framework in the Asia-Pacific region in the past, the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus),[7] with 18 Asia-Pacific defense ministers participating, was launched in October 2010. And in 2011 its subordinate ASEAN Defense Senior Officials’ Meeting Plus (ADSOM Plus),[8] working level dialogue, and the five working level Experts’ Working Groups (EWGs) were established. In November 2011, the United States and Russia became official members in the East Asia Summit, where the ten countries consisting ASEAN along with the ROK, China, Japan, India, Australia and New Zealand take part. As shown, major countries are actively participating in Asia-Pacific multilateral security consultative frameworks. The ROK MND has continuously been taking part in important regional multilateral security dialogues to seek joint response and international cooperation against various security threats. The ROK MND currently participates in the following multilateral dialogues in the Asia-Pacific region, which are shown in Chart 4-5. **7. ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting** **Plus [(]ADMM-Plus[)]** A defense ministers’ consultation framework held every three years with 10 ASEAN and 8 dialogue partner states (ROK, U.S., Japan, China, Russia, India, Australia, New Zealand). **8. ASEAN Defense Senior Officials’** **Meeting Plus [(]ADSOM-Plus[)]** An annual consultative framework under the ADMM-Plus ----- **Chart 4-5. MND Participating Asia-Pacific Multilateral Security Consultative Frameworks** |Government Level (Track 1)|Semi-Government Level (Track 1.5)| |---|---| |• A SEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus) and its sub consultative framework • A SEAN Regional Forum (ARF) • T okyo Defense Forum (TDF) • N ortheast Asia Peace and Security Mechanism Working Group (NEAPSM W/G) within the Six Party Talks framework|• Asia Security Summit (ASS) • Jakarta International Defense Dialogue (JIDD) • Northeast Asia Cooperation Dialogue (NEACD)| **| Asia Security Summit | The Asia Security Summit is a security** dialogue where defense officials and civilian experts from over twenty countries in the Asia-Pacific and Europe exchange views on defense policy and security issues to enhance mutual trust. The ROK has been participating in the Asia Security Summit since 2002, and from 2004, the Minister of National Defense became the head of the ROK delegation to engage in active defense diplomacy by giving keynote speeches and holding bilateral meetings with other delegations. At the 10[th] Asia Security Summit in 2011, the Minister of National Defense gave a speech on ‘East Asia’s New Distribution of Power and its Implications’ to suggest a new paradigm of cooperative security framework in Northeast Asia. Additionally, a number of bilateral dialogues were held with other delegations to enhance the understanding of ROK security environment and draw support and cooperation for the peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. During the 11[th] Asia Security Summit in 2012, the minister conducted active defense diplomacy activities. At the ROK-U.S.-Japan Defense Ministers’ Trilateral Meeting, the three countries agreed on a joint response to North Korean threats. During bilateral meetings with seven other delegations, including Indonesia, India, and Australia, a consensus was formed that North Korea’s provocations, including long-range missile launches, are a serious threat to the peace of Northeast Asia and the world. **| ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus) | In October** 2010, the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM- Plus) was held for the first time in Hanoi, Vietnam. In the meeting, the participants agreed that in order to respond to transnational and non-military threats, ROK-U.S.-Japan Defense Ministers’ Meeting (Singapore, June 2012) ----- cooperation should be made in five areas such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, maritime security, military medicine, counter terrorism, and peacekeeping operations. Experts’ Working Groups (EWGs)[9] were agreed to be established in these areas to realize substan tial cooperation in the future. At the first ADSOM-Plus meeting held in Indonesia in April 2011, the participants discussed major defense and security issues in the region and approved the establishment and operation of the five Experts’ Working Groups. The meeting is very significant in that it is the first dialogue of its kind comprised of defense ministers in the Asia-Pacific region. It is expected to take root as a paramount forum for regular discussions about common security interests within the region. The second ADMM-Plus meeting will take place in Brunei in 2013, and subsequent meeting will be held every other year. **| Seoul Defense Dialogue | The MND hosted the first Seoul Defense** Dialogue (SDD)[10] to promote security cooperation and multilateral military confidence building with regard to the Korean Peninsula and the Asia-Pacific region. It is the first of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region where vice minister level officials and civilian security experts from 15 countries and two international organizations take part. Under the motto ‘Cooperation for Security and Peace,’ the SDD proved to be a discussion forum covering a wide array of comprehensive security issues including not only traditional security threats but also transnational and non-traditional security threats. It also provided opportunity to establish a consensus on the need for multilateral cooperation and find solutions for such threats. The overarching theme of the first SDD, which was held from 14 to 16 November 2012, was ‘Cooperation for a more secure Asia-Pacific region: Issues and Solutions,’ and the three themes for discussion were ‘Common security challenges in the Asia-Pacific region and WMD proliferation,’ ‘Current status of cyber-threats and responses,’ and ‘Enhancing efficiencies of defense management: Successful cases and alternatives’ as agenda. The success of the SDD marked the launching of a significant senior level multilateral security dialogue in the Asia-Pacific region and created a **9. Co-Chairs of Experts’ Working** **Groups [(]2011−2013[)]** (1) Maritime Security (Malaysia, Australia) (2) Military Medical Service (Singapore, Japan) (3) HADR (Vietnam, China) (4) PKO (Philippines, New Zealand) (5) Counter-Terrorism (Indonesia, U.S.) *[ HADR: Humanitarian Assistance and ] Disaster Relief **10. Seoul Defense Dialogue [(]SDD[)]** (1) A multilateral security dialogue framework of vice minister level defense officials and civilian experts (Track 1.5), expanded from existing international arms control seminars (Track 2) (2) Participants: ROK, U.S., Japan, China, Russia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, EU, and NATO The Emblem for SDD ----- foundation for maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and building military confidence among regional states. In addition, not only did the SDD enhance the international community’s understanding and cooperation on the security situation of the Korean peninsula, but also served as an opportunity to raise the ROK’s international status by playing a leading role in multilateral security cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. For broad dialogue and cooperation among multilateral nations, partici pating members will be expanded in the future. **| Other Major Multilateral Security Cooperative Meeting | The** ROK MND is actively participating in major multilateral security consultative bodies in the Asia-Pacific region to discuss ways to respond to transnational and non-military threats, and takes part in joint exercises to enhance regional security and confidence building. Since 1996, when the ROK government first participated, the ROK has increased its level of participation in the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF). The ROK will co-chair the ARF Inter-Sessional Meeting on Maritime Security from 2012 until 2014 with the U.S. and Indonesia, and will co-host the ARF Disaster Relief Exercise (DiREx) with Thailand in 2013. The MND also first participated in Jakarta International Defense Dialogue (JIDD), which was held in Indonesia in 2011. In March 2012, the Vice Defense Minister participated in the second JIDD and delivered a speech on ‘Military Operations Other Than War (MOOTW)’ and discussed major issues such as defense exchange and cooperation, and defense industry cooperation in bilateral dialogues with other delegations. Additionally, the MND participates in the annual Tokyo Defense Forum (TDF), a director general level security consultative body, which seeks to promote military confidence building and cooperation among countries in the region. During the 16[th] TDF, which was held in March 2012, the participants discussed regional security cooperation, disaster relief, and efforts to ensure maritime security. The Northeast Asia Cooperation Dialogue (NEACD) is a security dialogue hosted by the Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation (IGCC) of University of California, where defense officials, diplomats, and civilian experts from six Northeast Asian countries (the ROK, North Delegations participating in the 1[st] SDD (Seoul, November 2012) ----- Korea, the U.S., Japan, China, Russia) take part. At the NEACD, members exchange views on Northeast Asian security issues and discuss means of building confidence among nations and promoting cooperation. At the 23[rd] NEACD held in Dailian, China in September 2012, confidence building between the U.S. and China and the outlook for multilateral cooperation in Northeast Asia were discussed. The heads of delegations also expressed their positions on the peace and development of the Korean Peninsula. **4. International Non-Proliferation and Counter-Prolifera-** **tion[11] Activities** The international community is strengthening its control over countering the proliferation of WMD and delivery vehicles through existing non-proliferation regimes such as international organizations and regulations. At the same time, efforts are being made to establish new international regims such as the UN Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) on preventing proliferation of conventional weapons. Additionally, the international community is strengthening export control on small arms and defense related strategic items and commodities[12] to prevent them from being used to threaten international peace and stability. The ROK government has participated actively in the international community’s non-proliferation and counter-proliferation regimes since its membership in the UN in 1991, and the extent of its participation is shown in Chart 4-6. **Chart 4-6. ROK Participation in Arms Control Regimes** **11. Non-Proliferation and Counter-** **Proliferation** Non-proliferation: Activities to prevent horizontal (quantity) and vertical (quality) proliferation of WMD Counter-proliferation: Complementary measure to non-proliferation by actively and aggressively responding to proliferation of WMD **12. Strategic Items and Commodities** This refers to not only WMD, conventional weapons and transport systems, but to goods, software, and technology in general that can be used in the development and manufacturing of these weapons. |Classification|Arms Control Regimes|Date Joined| |---|---|---| |Nuclear Disarmament/ Non-proliferation|International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)|August 1957| ||Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT)|April 1975| ||Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT)|September 1999| |Biological/Chemical Weapons Disarmament/ Non-Proliferation|Biological Weapons Convention (BWC)|June 1987| ||Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC)|April 1997| |Missile Non-Proliferation|Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR)|March 2001| ||Hague Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation (HCOC)|November 2002| ----- |Conventional Weapons|UN Register of Conventional Arms (UNRCA)|March 1993| |---|---|---| ||Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW)|May 2001| |Multilateral Export Control Regimes|Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG)|October 1995| ||Zangger Committee (ZC)|October 1995| ||Wassenaar Arrangements (WA)|July 1996| ||Australia Group (AG)|October 1996| |UN and Other Activities|UN General Assembly 1st Committee/UN Disarmament Commission (UNDC)|September 1991| ||Conference on Disarmament (CD)|June 1996| ||Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI)|May 2009| **| International Non-Proliferation Activities | The ROK government** faithfully fulfills its obligations as a credible member of the Non-Prolif eration Treaty (NPT), and is actively showing the international community the seriousness of the North Korean nuclear issue at the annual NPT meeting. In addition, as a country that faithfully performs duties as a member state of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), the ROK is the only Asian country that has been providing international assistance and protection education jointly with the Organization for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) since 2005. As of 2012, this education program provided training to 171 personnel responsible for chemical warfare response in 43 Asian OPCW member states on the response procedure for chemical terrorist attack and accidents. At the same time, many European countries led by international NGOs have signed the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (Ottawa Treaty) in December 1997 and Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) in December 2008 to completely ban cluster munitions and anti-personnel mines. This convention not only prohibits the production, usage, storage, and transfer of cluster bombs and mines but also stipulates the complete disposal of cluster bombs and mines to prevent civilian casualties from a humanitarian perspective. However, it would be problematic for the ROK to enter into this convention given the special security environment and circumstance where the military threat from North Korea continues. Instead, taking into account the humanitarian aspects and the military ----- effectiveness of cluster bombs and mines in a balanced manner, the ROK participated in the UN CCW assessment meeting for the adoption of ‘UN CCW Protocol on Cluster Munitions’ in November 2011, and ‘UN CCW MOTAPM (Mines other than Anti-Personnel Mines) Expert Meeting’ in April 2012 to actively convey the ROK position. **| International Counter-Proliferation Activities | In order to counter** potential threats of biological warfare on the Korean Peninsula, the ROK and the U.S. have been conducting the annual ‘Able Response Exercise,’ which is an ROK-U.S. combined biological warfare defense exercise, since 2011. In May 2012, fifty related ROK and U.S. agencies held a senior leader’s seminar and tabletop exercise at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA). The exercise enabled the ROK and the U.S. to test their integrated national response system against biological warfare threat and seek supplementation for any shortcomings, thereby enhancing their defense capabilities against biological threat. In addition, the ROK government, which is actively participating in international efforts on non-proliferation of WMD, decided to officially become a member of the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) in May 2009. Since officially participating in the PSI, the ROK MND has been dispatching its military personnel and related experts to the Operational Experts Group (OEG) meetings, seminars and interdiction exercises. Notably in 2010, the ROK MND successfully hosted a PSI seminar and a maritime interdiction exercise ‘Eastern Endeavor 2010’ with 14 countries participating. In July 2012, a search team from CBR Defense Command participated in an aerial interdiction exercise held in Japan to engage in air cargo search procedure training with other member countries. For the second time in September 2012, after 2010 the MND hosted a maritime interdiction exercise ‘Eastern Endeavor 2012,’ which consisted of a Table Top Exercise (TTX) and a Live Exercise (LIVEX). In the TTX, 120 experts from 19 different countries held in-depth discussions on counter proliferation and seizure of cargos, and in the LIVEX, the ROK, the U.S., Japan, and Australia successfully carried out a training to strengthen their combined interdiction capability by deploying their forces. ROK-U.S. Able Response Exercise (KIDA, Seoul, May 2012) PSI Maritime Interdiction Exercise (International waters southeast of Busan, September 2012) ----- **5. Reinforcing International Logistics Cooperation** The MND is strengthening its international logistics cooperation to ensure mutual logistics support for its allies and partners. **| Logistics Cooperation with the U.S. | The MND is strengthening** its mutually benefitting logistics cooperation with its U.S. ally in accordance with the changes to the security environment on the Korean Peninsula. To enhance the defense capability on the Korean Peninsula by supporting the rapid deployment of U.S. augmentation forces, the ROK and the U.S. concluded the ‘Umbrella Agreement between the govern ment of the Republic of Korea and the government of the United States of America concerning Wartime Host Nation Support (WHNS) in 1991. On 12 July 2011, the ‘Act on Partial Mobilization to Overcome Crisis and Local Provocation’ was enacted which enabled WHNS even during partial mobilization. The two countries are working on the ‘Memorandum of Agreement between the government of the Republic of Korea and the government of the United States of America concerning Wartime Host Nation Support,’ which will define wartime cost sharing responsibilities between the ROK and the U.S. In order to ensure timely and mutual logistics support, the ROK and the U.S. signed the ‘ROK-U.S. MLSA Standard Implementing Arrangement,’ on 30 January 2012, in accordance with the ‘Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA).’ In addition, the two countries hold annual Logistics Cooperation Committee (LCC) meetings, which is a sub-committee of the SCM, to discuss various logistical issues concerning repair parts, ammunition, and fuel supplies. The ROK and the U.S. are jointly pursuing ammunition demilitar ization[13] programs for the disposal of ammunition subject to demilitar ization occurring in the ROK in an eco-friendly manner. The Agency for Defense Development (ADD) built and operated an incinerator, which was completely constructed in December 2007, and an ammunitions disassembly facility, which has been running since March 2012. A melt-out facility[14] has been operating since October 2012, after an implementation agreement was signed on 4 November 2011. The demili tarization facilities are shown in Chart 4-7. **13. Demilitarization** Demilitarization refers to measures that prevent equipment and supplies being used for their original military purpose, such as amputation, destruction, modification, or defacement such that their original shape is altered or military markings are removed; disposal and removal of ammunitions is the most common example of demilitarization. **14. Melt-out facility** A melted gunpowder collection facility where a warhead is put into a melting furnace, at 90 degrees centigrade, after being separated from the propellant in mid- and large-size caliber bullets. ----- **Chart 4-7. Facilities for Demilitarization of Ammunitions** |Category|Incinerator|Disassemble Facility|Melt-out Facility| |---|---|---|---| |Facility|||| |Provider of Facility|ROK|ROK|U.S.| |Type of Ammunition|Low caliber under 20mm|mid-caliber between 20mm-100mm|mid-to-high caliber over 100mm| |Process Method|Environmentally friendly incineration, recycling of shells|Ammunition cut, disassembled and incinerated|Melted chemicals collected (reuse), recycling of shells| |Capacity|650 ton/annum|300 ton/annum|7,000-10,000 ton/annum| |Amount Processed (2012 Terms)|4,455 tons|4,745 tons|77,926 tons| **| Other International Logistics Cooperation | The MND is** expanding its mutual logistics cooperation with friendly countries in order to ensure the smooth execution of missions with assistance from friendly nations that would offer aid to the ROK in contingencies and effectively support the activities of ROK forces deployed abroad. In particular, the ROK signed mutual logistics support agreements with eleven countries to date in order to effectively pursue mutual logistics support with allied nations; the U.S. (1988), Thailand (1991), New Zealand (2007), Turkey (2008), the Philippines (2009), Israel, Australia, Canada (2010), Indonesia, Singapore (2011), and Cambodia (2012). The MND is also holding discussions with the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, and Malaysia over entering into such an agreement. Additionally, surplus defense items resulting from the process of weapons system modernization are transferred to friendly nations, thereby enhancing military cooperation, and simultaneously, contributing to the export of defense industry and resource diplomacy. The MND has transferred naval vessels, amphibious armored vehicles, aircraft, bulldozers and other equipment to the Philippines, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Peru, and Ghana and transferred ammunition to Colombia. In particular the ROK transferred one PKM (Patrol Killer Medium) vessel and two YUBs (Yard Utility Boats) to East Timor in 2011. ROK-Indonesia Signing of Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (Indonesia Joint Forces Command, December 2011) Transfer Ceremony of ROK Disused Equipment (Cambodia, June 2012) ----- In June 2012, 8,743 items of 20 types of equipment including trucks, excavators, and computers were transferred to Cambodia. In November 2012, 1,565 items of eight types of equipment including trucks and automobiles were transferred to Mongolia. ----- **Contributions to International** **Peacekeeping Operations** The ROK, with the aid and assistance of the UN and the international community, was able to overcome the devastation of the Korean War and achieved remarkable economic development to become a donor country. As the ROK has become a donor country from an aid recipient country, the military is playing its part in contributing to world peace and stability through international peacekeeping activities. As of September 2012, approximately 1,440 ROK military service members are deployed to 15 countries, and 17 regions, conducting UN peacekeeping operations, multinational forces peace operations, and defense cooperation activities.[1] **1. Participation in UN Peacekeeping Operations** UN Peacekeeping Operations (PKO) began when the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) in Palestine was established in 1948 to resolve international dispute by peaceful means. In the course of sixty years, a total of one million men and women from approximately 120 nations have participated in PKO activities, and as of September 2012, approximately 120,000 men and women are conducting missions related to observing an armistice and assisting in reconstruction efforts at 16 different mission groups. As UN Peacekeeping missions become more complex, the scope of operations have expanded to areas such as peace building, reconstruction, security, and aid to refugees and displaced people. Since becoming a member state of the UN in 1991, the ROK began participating in UN PKOs when it sent its engineering unit to Somalia (UNOSOM II) in July 1993. Since then, the ROK has dispatched a total of around 11,000 men to various missions in 17 different countries. As of September 2012, there are 348 service members deployed to the **Section** # 4 **1. Current Status of International** **Peacekeeping Activities** With the approval of the National Assembly on 27 September 2012 to deploy troops to South Sudan and the extension of troop deployments for the _Ashena, Cheonghae, Akh, and_ _Dongmyeong Units, a total of five ROK_ units will be deployed overseas in 2013. **Special Appendix 2** Refer to 20 Years of ROK Armed Forces Overseas Deployment, History and Accomplishment |Category|UN PKO|MNF PO| |---|---|---| |Host|Led directly by the UN|Led by a regional security organization or a particular nation| |Command and Control|PKO Commander appointed by the UN Secretary General|MNF Commander| |Expenses|Reimbursement by the UN|Borne by participating countries| **UNOSOM-II United Nations Operation** in Somalia II **Appendix 10, 11** Refer to current Status of Dispatch of ROK Troops Overseas and Budget for ROK Military Units Dispatched Overseas ----- **Chart 4-8. ROK Participation in UN PKO** **Lebanon** **_Dongmyeong Unit [(]348[)]_** UNIFIL Staff [(]4[)] **India, Pakistan** **Western Sahara** UNMOGIP [(]7[)] MINURSO [(]4[)] **South Sudan/** **Haiti** **Sudan, Darfur** **_Danbi Unit [(]240[)]_** **Liberia** **Cote d’Ivoire** UNMIS/UNAMID [(]10[)] MINUSTAH Staff [(]2[)] UNMIL[(]2[)] UNOCI[(]2[)] _Dongmyeong Unit in Lebanon and 240 to the Danbi Unit in Haiti. The_ ROK is also favorably exploring the possibility of sending its engineer unit to the newly independent South Sudan for its reconstruction. The ROK’s participation in PKOs is shown in Chart 4-8. **| Lebanon – The Dongmyeong Unit | In 1975, a civil war broke out** between the Christians and the Muslims in Lebanon, and frequent conflicts occurred between the Syrian military and the Israeli military, which were deployed and stationed in Lebanon under the pretext of resolving the civil war. In response, the UN passed the Security Council Resolutions 425 and 426 in March 1978 and established the UN Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which then began its supervision of the cease-fire agreement between Lebanon and Israel. In 2006, as the confrontation worsened between Israel and Hezbollah in the southern region of Lebanon, the UN adopted the UN Security Council Resolution 1701 on 11 August 2006, which significantly increased the number of forces from 2,000 to 15,000 and requested for more partici pation from its member states. ----- In July 2007, the ROK government deployed the Dongmyeong Unit[2] consisting of 350 troops to Lebanon as a part of UNIFIL with the approval of the National Assembly. The Dongmyeong Unit is conducting cease-fire monitoring operations in Tyre, in the southern region of Lebanon. In addition to its truce supervision activities, the Dongmyeong Unit has been engaging in multi-functional civil operations called the ‘Peace Wave.’[3] Under this operation, the Dongmyeong Unit attends to the needs of local residents, provides humanitarian assistance activities including medical and quarantine services, paving roads, improving schools and public facilities, among other things. The unit is also earning the trust of the Lebanese people by strengthening ties with the locals through the provision of Taekwondo, computer, Hangul, and sewing classes. The unit is also promoting closer friendship with other forces from different countries through exchange visits, sharing of information, and friendship activities. The major achievements of the Dongmyeong Unit are shown in Chart 4-9. **Chart 4-9. Major Activities of the Dongmyeong Unit [(]As of September 2012[)]** |Operational Activities|• Surveillance and reconnaissance of operational area: 16,172 • Combined reconnaissance with Lebanese military: 1,031 • Support guarding of Joint Checkpoints: 2,460| |---|---| |Civil Affairs Operations|• Medical support for local residents: 48,000, 5 times a week • Treatment of livestock: 9,700 • Quarantine activities: 5 times a week • Computer, Hangul, Taekwondo, Sewing class: 5 sites • Locally demanded projects (schools, sewage treatment, public facilities): 112 projects| |Military Diplomacy|• Exchange activities with UNIFIL countries (280) - Visit other deployed units (185), Invitation from deployed country (95)| **| Haiti – The Danbi Unit | In February 2004, public order in Haiti, a** Caribbean Bay nation in the Central America region, deteriorated due to massive social disturbances. In response, the United Nations (UN) established the United Nations Stabilization Mission In Haiti (MINUSTAH) in June 2004, and has been maintaining public order in Haiti. On 12 January 2010, an earthquake that measured 7.0 on the Richter scale struck Haiti and the capital city of Port-au-Prince and the **2. Dongmyeong Unit** Named after the founder of Goguryo Kingdom, which means a bright light from the east, bright future and peace. **3. Peace Wave** This is Dongmyeong Unit’s civil affairs operations, which include repairing and refurbishing dilapidated school buildings, building and repairing roads, providing medical assistance to local residents. Surveillance and Reconnaissance activity by the Dongmyeong Unit **MINUSTAH (French) Mission des** Nations Unies pour la Stabilisation en Haiti ----- surrounding areas were reduced to ruins and gave rise to millions of refugees. In accordance with the UN Security Council Resolution 1908, the MINUSTAH was expanded from 6,940 personnel to 8,940, and called for more contribution by the member states. The ROK government decided to dispatch an engineering unit to Haiti in order to assist in the recovery and reconstruction of the nation. With the approval of the National Assembly, the ROK deployed the ‘Haiti Reconstruction Support Group’ (Danbi Unit[4]) comprised of 240 personnel and equipment on 27 February 2010. The Danbi Unit engages in activities such as removing the debris from damaged buildings, restoring roads, drilling wells, dredging waterways, providing medical care, and taking preventive measures against epidemics in the Leogane region, where almost all the buildings were destroyed by the earthquake. Also, the Danbi Unit was recognized as an exemplary model for cooperation within the UN Mission, actively carrying out joint construction work with a Japanese engineering unit such as removing the debris, site renovations, and dredging river. The unit has also conducted numerous civil-military operations such as medical assistance, support for refugee camps and orphanages, providing education and vocational training for local school teachers and students. The Danbi Unit also engages in various friendship enhancing activities with other contingents from member states through exchange visits, information sharing, and friendship activities. Major activities are shown in Chart 4-10. **Chart 4-10. Major Activities of the Danbi Unit [(]As of September 2012[)]** **4. Danbi Unit** _Danbi means timely rain, which will give_ hope to the people of Haiti _Danbi Unit removing debris from_ earthquake _Danbi Unit’s well drilling_ |Reconstruction Assistance|• Repair of road/embankment: 32 • Site clearance: 47 • Removal of building debris: 14 • Drilling of deep wells: 18 • Dredging of waterways: 17| |---|---| |Civil Affairs Operations|• Medical assistance to local residents: 52,600 • Quarantine service to refugee camp, orphanage, schools: 2 times a week • Refugee camp support: 39 • Orphanage support: 100 • Taekwondo training: 137 • Vocational class for heavy machinery: 36| |Military Diplomacy|• Military cooperation and exchange with other units - Exchange visits and combined engineering operations| ----- **| Activities as Observers and Staff in UN Missions | The ROK** government has dispatched 31 observers and staff officers to UN missions in major areas of conflict, such as India, Pakistan, Lebanon, South Sudan, West Sahara, and Haiti. Observers monitor cease-fire violations and take part in patrols, investigations, reports, and mediation efforts, under the control of each mission headquarters. Staff officers perform their duties in key staff offices related to intelligence, operations, and logistics within their respective commands. In June 2012, an ROK Army general became the Head of the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) for the third time as a Korean. This is a reflection of the increased status and the role of the ROK in the field of peacekeeping. **2. Peace Operations of Multi-National Forces** The multi-national forces peace operations (MNF PO) include conflict resolution, establishment of peace, reconstruction assistance, and so on, which are carried out by a multi-national force formed by regional security organizations, or a particular country, pursuant to a UN Security Council Resolution or the support and resolution of the international community. Together with the UN PKO, the MNF PO plays an important role in the stabilization and reconstruction of a troubled region. As of September 2012, the ROK government has deployed 306 personnel to the Cheonghae Unit in the waters of Somalia and 350 to the _Ashena Unit in Afghanistan; thus, contributing to MNF peace operations._ The details of the ROK’s participation are shown in Chart 4-11. **| The Cheonghae Unit - Waters of Somalia | Somalia has been in** civil war since the 1990s, which has destabilized public order and brought about chronic economic difficulties. As a result, since 2004, under the protection of regional warlords, pirate organizations were formed and began to conduct piracy activities in the vicinity of Somali waters. As losses caused by piracy increased drastically in Somali waters, the UN decided to deploy military vessels and aircraft under the UN Security Council Resolution 1816 in June 2008, and requested the ROK military as observers in United Nations Operation in Cote d’Ivoire Area of operation of the Cheonghae Unit (The Gulf of Aden) ----- **Chart 4-11. ROK Participation in Multinational Forces Peace Operations** **Afghanistan** _Ashena Unit [(]350[)]_ Staff Officers [(]4[)] **Bahrain Combined Maritime** **Forces** Coordination/Staff Officers [(]4[)] **U.S. Central Command** Coordination/Staff Officers [(]3[)] **Somalia Waters** _Cheonghae Unit [(]306[)]_ Djibouti Coordination/Staff Officers [(]4[)] participation of its member states. The ROK government, to protect and promote national interest with the approval of the National Assembly, dispatched the Cheonghae Unit to the Gulf of Aden off Somalia on 13 March 2009 to protect and promote national interest. The Cheonghae Unit’s mission is to assist in the safe passage of ROK ships, to protect its citizens, and to perform counter piracy operations as a member of the Combined Maritime Forces. The Cheonghae Unit is comprised of one 4,500-ton destroyer, one helicopter, three Rigid Inflatable Boats (RIB), and approximately 310 personnel. Since the ROK Ship Munmu the Great was dispatched in March 2009 as the first contingent, ROK naval vessels have been rotating every six months. The Cheonghae Unit performs convoy missions not only for ROK ships, but also for foreign ships that pass through the Gulf of Aden. It partic ipates in CTF-151[5] and engages in counter piracy operations. In the course of these operations, it has rescued 25 civilian ships that were under threat from pirates. In particular, it successfully executed ‘Operation Dawn of Gulf of Aden’ in January 2011 where the unit rescued an ROK ship and its crew, hijacked by pirates. In March of the same year, the unit safely evacuated ROK nationals from politically unstable Libya to safe areas **5. Combined Task Force-151** Subordinate unit of Combined Maritime Forces, which executes anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden and the Somali waters. Operation Dawn of Gulf of Aden (21 January 2011) Evacuation of ROK citizens in Libya (24 February – 19 March 2011) - 37 citizens were evacuated to nearby Malta and Greece on two occasions ----- such as Greece and Malta. Such accomplishments raised the status of ROK’s armed forces in the world and increased credibility and pride to its public. The Cheonghae Unit also maintains military cooperation through mutual visits with naval vessels from other nations deployed to the area such as the U.S., Japan, China, France, Turkey, and India, and through intelligence exchange meetings on pirates. Additionally, it maintains close coordination with the U.S., EU, and NATO for counter piracy operations. **| The Ashena Unit - Afghanistan | As public order in Afghanistan** deteriorated significantly due to the indiscriminate terrors by the Taliban following the collapse of Taliban government in 2001, the UN established the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) under the UN Security Council Resolution 1383, and supported the stabilization and restoration activities in Afghanistan. Additionally, through the October 2009 UN Security Resolution 1890, the UN urged its member states to support the ISAF by providing personnel, equipment, and materials. Following the UNSC resolution and upon the request from the Afghanistan government, the ROK government announced at the end of October 2009 its plans to deploy a Korean Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) and security unit. Accordingly, with the approval of the National Assembly in February 2010, the ROK government deployed the _Ashena Unit[6] of 350 troops to the Parwan Province in July 2010 in order_ to support the safe reconstruction operations of the ROK PRT. Starting from July 2010, the ROK PRT, with civilian experts in the lead, has conducted stabilization and reconstruction work in four areas including medical aid, education, administrative systems, and rural development. Since its deployment, the ROK PRT has given the people of Afghanistan hopes and dreams by treating over 100,000 patients, providing vocational and police training, and building schools, medical centers, and foot bridges. With such efforts by the ROK PRT, the local residents are calling the ROK units ‘Korean brothers’ and the ROK is recognized as the country that earned the most trust in the Parwan Province in a short period. This allowed the ROK unit to be highly regarded by the ISAF allies, The garrison where the Ashena Unit is stationed (Camp Charika) **6. Ashena Unit** _Ashena means ‘friend, partner’ in Dari_ dialect. ----- Afghanistan government, and the local population. In order to guarantee successful activities of the PRT, nothing less than perfection was asked of the Ashena Unit in guarding the PRT base and carrying out escort missions. Since its deployment in July 2010, the _Ashena Unit conducted near perfect operations without a single casualty_ by executing flexible security operations considering the level of threat, and maintaining a seamless operational readiness posture. The major operational achievements by the Afghan Ashena Unit are shown in Chart 4-12. **Chart 4-12. Major Activities of the Ashena Unit [(]As of September 2012[)]** |Category|Aerial|Col3|Ground|Col5| |---|---|---|---|---| ||Escort|Reconnaissance|Escort|Reconnaissance| |1st-4th Wave (July 2010-June 2012)|993|56|330|52| |5th Wave (10 June 2012- )|219|19|12|15| |Total|1,212|75|342|67| **| Multi-National Force Staff and Coordination Officers | The ROK** military has dispatched a total of 15 staff and coordination officers to support the multi-national forces in the following locations: four service members to the Combined Maritime Forces in Bahrain; four service members to the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) in Djibouti; four service members to Kabul, Afghanistan; three service members to the U.S. Central Command. Additionally, an ROK navy admiral successfully executed the mission of commanding the MNF CTF-151 unit, which is a unit dedicated to carrying out counter piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden and in the waters of eastern Somalia from April to August 2010, and from June to September 2012, respectively. **3. Defense Cooperation Activities** Defense cooperation activity is the deployment of ROK forces to a non-conflict area where there is no apparent threat to our personnel and no _Ashena Unit securing PRT_ **CJTF-HOA Combined Joint Task Force-** Horn of Africa Service as the Commander of CTF-151 (August 2010) ----- threat of combat, in order to enhance military cooperation and to serve national interest of the ROK. In this respect, it is a different type of overseas deployment compared with UN PKO or MNF PO in conflict areas. The deployment of the Akh Unit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2011 is the first of its kind and is enhancing the defense cooperation between the ROK and the UAE. **| The Akh Unit[7] in the United Arab Emirates | Since the establish-** ment of a Defense Attaché Office in the UAE in 2005, the ROK signed a ‘Defense Cooperation Agreement’ with the UAE and continuously improved its relationship with the UAE. Cooperation grew in a wide array of areas including economy and defense, raising the relationship to a new level of ‘comprehensive and strategic partnership’ in December 2009, which brought about increased military cooperation and exchange. In particular, when the Crown Prince of UAE visited the ROK in May 2010, he was very impressed by the ROK special forces and during the ROK Defense Minister’s visit to the UAE in August 2010, he asked the ROK to send its special forces to assist in enhancing the UAE special warfare units. In response, the ROK sent an observation group in October 2010 to verify the training environment, and with the approval of the National Assembly, it deployed the UAE Military Training Cooperation Group, Akh Unit in January 2011 to the Al Ain region in Abu Dhabi. The Akh Unit is providing education and training to the UAE special warfare forces and is conducting joint training and exercises with the UAE military. Additionally, it will protect ROK citizens in the region during emergency situations. The Akh Unit has approximately 150 personnel and after its first wave deployment in January 2011, the fourth wave is currently conducting missions in the UAE. The Akh Unit contributed to the UAE special warfare forces honing their skills as an elite-de-corps and enhanced their special operations capabilities. Additionally the Akh Unit also improved combined operations capabilities and gained precious experience in conducting missions in various operational environment to include the hot desert environment and utilizing modern training facilities of the UAE, thereby improving their own combat skills. Moreover, the Akh Unit was responsible for escorting the pirates to the ROK after the ‘Operation Dawn of Gulf of Aden’ in **7. The Akh Unit** _Akh means ‘brother’ in Arabic to_ emphasize friendliness towards the UAE people. The Akh Unit in Combined Training (special warfare, counter-terrorism, aerial, maritime operations) ----- January 2011. The expansion of defense cooperation with the UAE facilitates economic exchanges and defense exports between the two nations. It also provides more opportunities for retired military officers and civilian experts to utilize their skills and expertise in a foreign country, and contributes to national interest in terms of acquiring energy such as oil and natural gas. **4. Expanding the Participation in PKOs** The ROK government position is to steadily expand its participation in international peacekeeping operations while firmly maintaining its military readiness posture against North. To this end, it is operating a standing military unit for overseas deployment, reinforcing the functions of the PKO Center, and expanding its participation in PKO-related multi national exercises. **| Operation of a Standing Unit for Overseas Deployment | In** December 2009, the Act on Participation in UN Peacekeeping Operations was enacted which provides the legal basis for the ROK government to efficiently pursue the deployment of troops for UN PKOs. Accordingly, the MND has been reinforcing its stand-by-system for overseas deployment by establishing a separate standing unit dedicated to overseas deployment, in order to promptly execute the requirements for overseas deployment. Since December 2009, the 3,000 strong overseas deployment standing unit has been operational, consisting of a unit dedicated to overseas deployment, units designated as a reserve unit, and units designated for specific overseas missions. The unit dedicated for overseas deployment, which is comprised of 1,000 service members, is the first to prepare for deployment in the event a need for deployment arises. Until June 2010, a special mission group, under the Special Warfare Command, was designated and operated as the unit dedicated for overseas deployment. However, in July 2010, this special mission group was dissolved and the International Peace Support Group (Onnuri Unit[8]) was established to **8. The Onnuri Unit** ‘Onnuri’ is a Korean word, which is a combination of ‘on’ meaning ‘all’ or ‘whole’ and ‘nuri’ meaning ‘the world’ where people are living in. This unit spans the world, opting for peace and hope. ----- serve as a unit solely devoted to overseas deployment. Units designated as a reserve unit prepare for rotations and additional deployments. Also, in order to prepare for various deployment requirements, units such as Army engineering units, medical units, military police, guard units (Marines), Navy and Air Force transportation units, and UAV and helicopter units are designated as tailored units for specific overseas missions. The International Peace Support Group carries out deployment preparation and training activities to be able to deploy rapidly in the event deployment is required. Once the deployment decision is made, a portion of the International Peace Support Group is utilized to establish a new unit that will be deployed, and the actual deployment occurs upon the approval of the National Assembly. The organization of the standing units for overseas deployment is shown in Chart 4-13. **Chart 4-13. Organization of Standing Unit for Overseas Deployment** **Joint Chiefs of Staff** Unit Dedicated to |Standing Overseas D|Unit for eployment| |---|---| ||| Overseas Deployment Designated Reserve Unit Unit to be designated for specific overseas missions *[ Unit to be designated for specific overseas missions: engineering, medical, military police, security units ] (Marine), Navy and Air Force transport unit, UAV, helicopter unit, etc. **| Reinforcing the Functions of the PKO Center | The PKO Center at** the Korea National Defense University is the only educational institute in the ROK dedicated to international peacekeeping activities. Originally, a PKO department was first established at the Joint Staff College in August 1995. In 2004, this organization was restructured into the PKO Center which carried out pre-deployment education for the deploying personnel. The MND reorganized the PKO Center from the Joint Staff College to the National Defense University on 1 January 2010, and shortly after the reorganization, it increased the number of instructors and research personnel to reinforce the education and research functions of the PKO Center. ----- The PKO Center is in charge of providing pre-deployment education to key cadres and individuals of deploying units, and also provides education for police officers preparing for overseas postings. Once the mission of the deployed unit and individually deployed personnel is over, the PKO Center publishes and distributes to the related offices a booklet on the lessons learned from the deployment and after action reports so that the lessons and experiences from the deployment can be utilized in the future. Additionally, the PKO Center is strengthening its exchange programs with foreign military PKO centers. For example, in December 2011, a visiting professor from a Swedish PKO institute was invited to teach at the ROK PKO Center as a part of its curriculum which improved the quality of education related to PKOs. In preparation of a national level PKO center, which incorporates the civilian, government, military, and police forces that could be established in the future, the PKO Center will continue to reinforce its role and functions. The organization of the PKO Center is shown in Chart 4-14. **Chart 4-14. The Organization of PKO Center** **PKO Center** **Planning and** **Research and** **Training and** **Operations Division** **Development Division** **Education Division** **| Participation in Multilateral PKO Training and Exercises | The** MND is expanding its cooperation for regional PKOs by actively partici pating in international PKO-related multi-national training and exercises. Every year, since 2006, the ROK has participated in the ‘Khaan Quest.’ This is a multilateral PKO exercise led by the Mongolian government and is conducting exercises that apply the UN PKO training directives and standard training model. Additionally, the ROK has been conducting PKO command post exercises (CPX) and field training exercises (FTX) by participating annually in the U.S.-led Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI) Capstone Exercise since 2008. The ROK has been participating as an observer in the U.S.-Thailand co-hosted Cobra Gold Exercise since 2002. However, starting in 2010, the ROK has been conducting multi Signing of MOU on Dispatch of PKO Instructor between the ROK National Defense University and Swedish Joint Forces Command (PKO Center, December 2011) ----- national combined and humanitarian civil affairs training with the Navy and the Marine corps of six countries and are participating in maneuvering training exercises involving amphibious forces (amphibious landing ships, amphibious assault vehicle), during the Cobra Gold Exercise. The ROK will continue to enhance its military execution capabilities for diverse missions and strengthen the cooperation in the field of PKO by participating in various PKO-related multilateral exercises and training with other countries. ----- ----- ----- ##### Chapter 5 **Military Support for the** **Development of Inter-** **Korean Relationship** Section 1 Inter-Korean Military Confidence Building and Arms Control Section 2 Repatriation of ROK POWs and SouthNorth Joint Remains Recovery 126 134 ----- **Inter-Korean Military** **Confidence Building and** **Arms Control** The ROK government has been pursuing a North Korea policy that promotes co-existence and co-prosperity in order to further develop realistic foundations for peace and unification on the Korean Peninsula. The MND is also in support of the ROK government’s North Korea policy and provides military assistance to inter-Korean exchanges and cooperation. However, the inter-Korean relationship is in a standstill due to North Korea’s provocations such as the sinking of the ROK Ship Cheonan and shelling of _Yeonpyeongdo (island). If South-North relations improve in the future, the_ MND will once again put greater efforts towards improving inter-Korean military confidence building and arms control in order to uphold military stability and create a new peace structure on the Korean Peninsula. **1. Military Confidence Building through South-North Mili-** **tary Talks** **| Status of South-North Military Relations | After intensifying its** condemnation towards the South since the inauguration of the Lee Myung-bak Administration, North Korea eventually launched provocations against the South by attacking the ROK Ship Cheonan followed by the shelling of Yeonpyeongdo (island) in 2010. The North, however, changed its attitude in early 2011 and proposed to hold South-North talks while emphasizing dialogue and cooperation and the need to resolve the confrontational status between the South and North in its 2011 Joint New Year Editorial. In response, the ROK proposed to hold talks between South-North authorities to discuss North Korea’s attack on the ROK Ship Cheonan and the shelling of Yeonpyeongdo **Section** # 1 ----- (island), additional provocations, and to confirm North Korea’s sincerity towards denuclearization. As a result, the 39[th] South-North Military Working-level Talks were held from 8 to 9 February to discuss the details of holding a South-North high-level military meeting. However, the Working-level Talks ended without results. In May 2011, North Korea again started to aggressively condemn and threaten the ROK government, this time blaming the live fire shooting of targets and accusing the ROK military of engaging in anti-North slogans as a pretext for its actions. On 30 May, the spokesperson of the North Korean National Defense Commission (NDC) issued a statement saying that the North will “never deal with the South again.” The next day, on the 31[st], the North cut off military communications in the Eastern corridor and notified that the communication liaison office at the Kumgang Mountain district will be closed. On 1 June, North Korea released information regarding a closed meeting between the South and North and on 2 June, adopted the ‘Kumgang Mountain Special International Tourism District Act’ which rendered the previous agreements between the two Koreas ineffective. North Korea continued its hard-line rhetoric through a statement by the General Staff Department spokesperson on 3 June threatening that the North ‘would launch real and full-scale retaliatory military actions.’ The strained relations between the South and North seemed to be thawing somewhat as denuclearization discussions commenced in preparation for the resumption of the Six Party Talks. Between July and October, South-North, and U.S.-North talks on denuclearization were each held twice. Against such backdrop, the ROK government announced a plan to commence road repair work at Kaesong Industrial Complex (KIC) and extend commuter bus operations aimed at alleviating the difficulties of ROK companies in the KIC. Nevertheless, North Korea resumed intense denunciation and threats against the ROK government using the mourning issue of Kim Jong Il’s death on 17 December 2011 as a pretext for their harsh rhetoric. In particular, through the statement made by the NDC on 30 December, North Korea announced the severance of relations with the ROK government and continued its hard-line rhetoric through the Joint New Year Editorial on 1 January 2012 which called for a ‘stop to war exercises ----- intended to invade the North and schemes to build up armed forces.’ Following such hostile rhetoric, North Korea increased the level of threat through additional belligerent statements such as: a call for a ‘our type of holy war’ by the Supreme Command Spokesperson in March; a threatening statement by the Supreme Command’s special operation action group on 23 April; an open ultimatum on 4 June by the General Staff; and an open statement by the Western Front Command on 19 October. Meanwhile, on 13 April, despite the concerns and warnings from the international community, North Korea launched a long-range missile that resulted in failure. The launching of a long-range missile by North Korea clearly violated the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 1874, which prohibits any and all launches using ballistic missile technology. These are serious provocative acts that threaten the peace and security of the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia. As such, on 16 April, the UNSC unanimously adopted a Presidential Statement that contained warnings of additional sanctions against North Korea. Moreover, North Korea is continuing its psychological operations against the ROK as a part of its unification front tactics to drive a wedge in the ROK public opinion by exploiting the political situation in the ROK as seen through North Korea’s intervention in the general elections held on 11 April and the presidential elections scheduled for 19 December. **| Propelling South-North Military Talks | Although a total of three** South-North Military Working-level Talks were held after the inaugu ration of the Lee Myung-bak administration, they all concluded without notable results and only confirmed the differences in positions. The 37[th] South-North Military Working-level Talks were held at the Peace House in Panmunjom on 2 October 2008. At this meeting, the ROK military demanded the North to end its denunciation of the ROK President, resume comprehensive dialogue between the South and North, and resolve the incident at Kumgang Mountain where an ROK tourist was shot and killed. The North threatened that the inter-Korean exchanges and cooperation projects will not be continued under normal terms, citing the balloon launches conducted by ROK non-government organizations as an excuse. The talks concluded after both sides simply exchanged their positions on the various matters brought to the table by each side. ----- The 38[th] South-North Military Working-level Talks were held at the Peace House in Panmunjom on 30 September 2010. The ROK military requested the North to take responsible actions regarding the sinking of the ROK Ship Cheonan by admitting and apologizing for the attack, reprimanding those who were behind the provocation, and devising measures to prevent similar incidents from recurring in the future. However, the North made an unfounded insistence that the sinking of the ROK Ship Cheonan was a fabricated plot against the North and instead demanded the suspension of balloon launches by civilian organizations. During the 39[th] South-North Military Working-level Talks which was also held at the Peace House in Panmunjom from 8 to 9 February 2011, the South and North discussed the issues pertaining to the procedures for holding South-North senior-level military talks in order to discuss the sinking of the ROK Ship Cheonan and shelling of Yeonpyeongdo (island). However, the negotiations fell apart due to disagreements on the agenda for the senior-level talks and the rank of the senior delegates. The North maintained its previous standpoint of avoiding the responsibilities for sinking the ROK Ship Cheonan and shelling Yeonpyeongdo (island), and unilaterally withdrew from the talks. Although all three talks concluded without results, the ROK government has continuously put forward the efforts to improve inter-Korean relations. In particular, in accordance with the principle that ‘the door for dialogue is always open,’ the ROK government is maintaining the position of initiating talks at any time, on the condition that the North takes actions regarding the sinking of the ROK Ship Cheonan and shelling of Yeonpy _eongdo (island) that are acceptable to the ROK public in order to truly_ advance and improve South-North dialogue and relations. **2. Military Assurance to Inter-Korean Exchange and Coop-** **eration Projects** The MND is establishing military assurance measures for South-North exchange and cooperation projects and is maintaining a military readiness posture to immediately response to contingencies. Most of the inter Korean exchange and cooperation projects are carried out across the ----- Military Demarcation Line (MDL), the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), and the Northern Limit Line (NLL), all of which are under the jurisdiction of the ROK Military. As such, the ROK military consults and initiates military assurance measures with the United Nations Command (UNC) and the North Korean military while providing security and convoys for inter-Korean crossings through the DMZ so that inter-Korean exchanges and cooperative programs are conducted in a safe and seamless manner. **| Military Assurance to Inter-Korean Crossing | Direct inter-Korean** crossings occur through land, sea, and air routes. The ROK government implemented the ‘5·24 Measures’[1] as it was revealed that North Korea was responsible for the sinking of the ROK Ship Cheonan which occurred on 26 March 2010. Accordingly, overall inter-Korean crossings decreased substantially with the exception of crossings related to the KIC. Land crossings are carried out through the roads and railroads within the western and eastern corridors of the South-North Joint Administrative Areas. The ROK military executes the approval process that entails consulting and processing crossing plans with the UNC and the North Korean military in accordance with the Armistice Agreement and inter Korean agreements. The ROK military also provides security and convoys for inter-Korean crossings inside the South-North Joint Administrative Area. Despite the dramatic decrease in inter-Korean crossings since the implementation of the ‘5·24 Measures,’ the ROK significantly enhanced the crossing support measures inside the Joint Administrative Areas by making improvements to the systems in the military situation room within the Inter-Korea Transit Office and replacing the electric-powered gates on 20 April 2012, in order to guarantee the safety of personnel and vehicles transiting the Joint Administrative Areas and allowing for rapid management of the situation. Sea crossings occur through the inter-Korean navigation routes as designated by the Agreement on Maritime Transport between the South and the North.[2] The ROK military conducts communication checks with North Korean vessels that are using inter-Korean maritime navigation routes once they cross the NLL, and also executes missions to maintain security and surveillance readiness when such vessels are navigating **MDL Military Demarcation Line** **DMZ Demilitarized Zone** **1. 5·24 Measures** - Disapprove sailing of North Korean vessels in ROK waters - Suspend inter-Korean trade excluding the KIC - Disapprove visits to North Korea - Disapprove new investments in North Korea - Suspend projects supporting North Korea in principle Replacing electric-powered gate **2. The Agreement on Maritime** **Transport between the South and the** **North** - Signed on 28 May 2004, took effect on 1 August 2005 - Opening of sea ports in South and North Korea, Opening of the Jeju Strait to North Korean commercial vessels ----- through ROK territorial waters. However, since the implementation of the ‘5·24 Measures,’ the transiting of North Korean vessels through ROK waters has been suspended. Air crossings usually take place through the direct air route over the West Sea. The ROK military decides whether to allow the passage or not based on military and security considerations when North Korean aircraft requests the use of this air route, guarantees the safety of aircraft operating within the ROK airspace, and prepares for any contingencies. **| Operations of Inter-Korean Military Communication Lines | Based** on the agreement on 17 September 2002 to install communication lines between the South-North military situation rooms, the South and North installed a phone lines, fax lines, and a back-up communication lines at the western corridor on 24 September 2002, and at the eastern corridor on 5 December 2003, respectively. Through these military communi cation lines installed between the South and North military situation rooms at the western and eastern corridors, the South and North militaries are conducting transit approvals and exchanging messages between the representatives of the South-North military talks. However, due to North Korea’s deteriorating electricity supply, lack of adequate infrastructure, and antiquated cables, communications between the South and North using copper cables were often interrupted. As such, the South and North militaries initiated a military communications line modernization project to ensure stable and rapid communications. On 22 December 2009, construction work to replace the copper cables with optical cables at both the eastern and western corridors was completed, and these lines were operational on 26 December. However, because North Korea suspended military communications at the eastern corridor and closed down the Kumgang Mountain Communications Liaison Office on 31 May 2011, only the communication lines at the western corridor are currently operational. **3. Preparing for South-North Arms Control** Arms control[3] is a strategic concept to reduce the risk of war and **3. Arms control** A concept that seeks to reduce the risk of war and enhance security by acquiring military transparency and improving military stability through the confirmation, limitation, prohibition, and reduction of the construction, deployment, transfer, management, and usage of specific military capabilities between and among relevant unilateral, bilateral and multilateral actors under mutual agreement. ----- enhance security by building transparency for military activities and increasing military stability. The ROK government is adhering to the principles of implementing arms control in a gradual and phased manner, with priority in pursuing common issues of interest, maintaining South-North reciprocity, and improving the capacity to implement agreed items. The South and North have already agreed to discuss and initiate issues pertaining to building military confidence and realizing arms control in the 1992 Inter-Korean Basic Agreement and Auxiliary Agreement on Non-aggression, and adopted the 2004 Agreement on the Prevention of Accidental Naval Clashes in the Western Sea and the Cessation of Propaganda Activities. However, North Korea is not implementing the South-North military agreements, and has been demonstrating passive attitudes towards military confidence building and arms control. Moreover, as shown by North Korea’s tendency to repeat military provocations such as the sinking of the ROK Ship Cheonan and the shelling of Yeonpyeongdo (island), the South and North have not been able to establish even a rudimentary level of military confidence in terms of arms control. The MND is maintaining and developing policies related to military confidence building and arms control in anticipation of improvements in inter-Korean relations, while strengthening the foundation for pursing arms control through academic research projects including the publication of the ‘Strategic Balance in Northeast Asia’ and ‘Arms Control on the Korean Peninsula.’ Furthermore, the MND hosted the Seoul Security Dialogue in order to build military confidence among the countries in the Asia-Pacific region, and has been an active participant in international disarmament and non-proliferation regimes (i.e. Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons) that will act as an important basis for pursuing inter-Korean arms control. The MND is accumulating verification and inspection capabilities through the Korea Arms Verification Agency. The Korea Arms Verifi cation Agency of the MND is enhancing its verification and inspection capabilities by holding verification tasks development workshops, implementing international arms control agreements, supporting inspections by the Organization for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons ----- (OPCW), participating in ROK-U.S. combined inspection trainings, carrying out integrated civilian-military nuclear and chemical weapons verification trainings, and participating in verification education and training, while enhancing exchange and cooperation with U.S. and German inspection organizations. ----- **Repatriation of ROK POWs** **and South-North Joint** **Remains Recovery** Although prisoners of war (POW) of the Korean War were repatriated in accordance with the 1953 Armistice Agreement, there are still many ROK POWs who currently remain detained in North Korea because they were excluded from the initial repatriation. The ROK government has been reviewing a variety of solutions related to confirming the fate and whereabouts of POWs remaining in North Korea, pursuing family reunions, resolving the repatriation issue, pursuing the safe return of those POWs and families who fled to third countries, and supporting POWs who have returned to the ROK to settle in the ROK in a stable manner. Moreover, the ROK is pursuing a project to recover ROK POW remains in North Korea. **1. Resolving the ROK POW Issue** **| Background | During the Korean War, POW exchanges between the** United Nations Command (UNC) and the communists occurred three times from April 1953 to January 1954. While the UNC estimated the number of ROK service members missing in action (MIA) to be around 82,000, the total number of POWs who were returned by the communists was only 8,343. As such, it is estimated that the majority of ROK POWs are still forcibly detained in North Korea. As such, from the mutual POW exchange in accordance with the Armistice Agreement up to the 1960s, the United Nations Command called for North Korea to resolve the issues pertaining to non-repatriated ROK POWs through the Military Armistice Commission (MAC). However, North Korea has continued adhering to the claim that all ROK **Section** # 2 Signing of wounded POW exchange between United Nations Command and Communist Forces (11 April 1953) United Nations Command POWs passing the Gate of Freedom as they were repatriated by POW exchange after signing the Armistice Agreement ----- POWs were transferred to the Neutral Nations Repatriation Commission, and that there are no ROK POWs detained in North Korea. North Korea maintains this position to this day. **| ROK POWs: Whereabouts, Family Reunion and Repatriation |** Since the repatriation of the late first lieutenant Cho, Chang Ho in 1994, the ROK government has developed government-wide plans to have ROK POWs repatriated from North Korea and provide support to ROK POWs who have returned to the ROK. Moreover, through various inter Korean dialogues, the ROK government has continuously proposed to discuss and resolve the issues related to confirming the fate and whereabouts of ROK POWs and their repatriation as a top-priority issue from an inter-Korean reconciliation and humanitarian perspective. In June 2000, during the Inter-Korean Ministerial and Red Cross Talks following the Inter-Korean Summit, the South and North agreed to discuss and resolve the issue of ROK POWs in conjunction with the issue of separated families. In February 2006, during the 7[th] Inter-Korean Red Cross Talks, an agreement was reached ‘to discuss and resolve the issue of confirming the fate and whereabouts of those who went missing during and after the war as a part of the separated families issue,’ and this principle was reconfirmed during the 20[th] Inter-Korean Ministerial Talks on February 2007 and the 8[th] Inter-Korean Red Cross Talk on April 2007. As a result, the fate and whereabouts of 33 ROK POWs were confirmed through a separated families reunion event during which 17 of them were reunited with their families from the South. Meanwhile the ROK government is putting forward multi-faceted efforts for the safe return of ROK POWs and their families who escaped North Korea and fled to third countries. When the defection by ROK POWs and their families from North Korea is confirmed, the ROK government first ensures their personal safety in the perspective of protecting ROK nationals living abroad and exerts diplomatic efforts to repatriate them to the ROK as soon as possible. From 1994 to September 2012, 80 ROK POWs and approximately 400 POW family members returned to the ROK after escaping North Korea and fleeing to third countries. The status of ROK POWs is shown in Chart 5-1. ----- **Chart 5-1. Status of repatriated ROK POWs** **As of Septemper 2012, Unit : person** |Year|’94|’97|’98|’99|’00|’01|’02|’03|’04|’05|’06|’07|’08|’09|’10|’11|’12|Total| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |Person|1|1|4|2|9|6|6|5|14|11|7|4|6|3|1|-|-|80| **| Supporting Former ROK POWs to Resettle in the ROK | The ROK** MND is implementing a wide range of policies that support ROK POWs to resettle in the ROK as quickly and smoothly as possible and allow them to live the remainder of their lives in contentment. In accordance with the Legislation on Repatriation and Treatment of Prisoners of War enacted in 1998, the MND provides living and housing expenses, and pension for POWs who have returned to the ROK, along with medical care support up to 10 million Korean Won annually. Moreover, the families of those POWs who have not returned and died in North Korea are registered as ‘families of ROK POWs,’ on top of being designated as North Korean defectors, and receive separate support funds by household. Nonetheless, calls for institutional improvements arose due to a variety of problems continuously occurring contrary to the original intent of the Act on Repatriation and Treatment of Prisoners of War. As such, the MND improved the support system for ROK POWs in a prudent manner and introduced personal safety measures to protect former ROK POWs by amending the aforementioned Act while preparing various measures to assist in the employment of ROK POW family members and to provide respectful treatment for the ROK POWs. Starting from late 2008, the MND has been providing social re-integration training for ROK POWs to assist them in adapting stably to society. Through the education and training sessions prepared by civilian expert agencies, the ROK POWs are not only acquiring basic knowledge for living in the ROK, but are also receiving emotional support. Furthermore, the MND is putting forth efforts to understand the difficulties the ROK POWs face during the process of settling down by conducting household visits, and providing practical and realistic assistance. Also, the MND is providing many opportunities for former POWs and families to visit industrial and cultural sites and enhance mutual friendship through annual former ROK POW invitation events and ----- round tables with former POWs and their families. **| Way Ahead | In conjunction with improved inter-Korean relations in** the future, the ROK government plans to exert efforts to fundamentally resolve the issue of ROK POWs, and will continue to confirm the fate and whereabouts of POWs and hold reunions between POWs and their families through separated family reunion events. Moreover, diplomatic efforts such as enhancing cooperation with third countries will continue to be made in order to ensure the personal safety of ROK POWs and their family members who fled North Korea and facilitate their safe return to the ROK. Also, the ROK government will continue to develop various types of support policies to assist former POWs in adapting to the ROK society at an early stage through social education and to track the status of the POWs through regular household visits and round table discussions in order to help them stably settle down in the ROK. The ROK government will also assist with networking and provide daily services with the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs and the Korean Red Cross. **2. South-North Joint Remains Recovery** Out of all the ROK service members killed in action (KIA) during the Korean War, the remains of approximately 39,000 service members are estimated to be buried in North Korea and approximately 13,000 in the DMZ. During the 2[nd] Inter-Korean Defense Ministerial Talks in November 2007, the South and North agreed to discuss and resolve the issue of recovering the remains of those KIA during the Korean War. The South and the North carrying out a joint operation to recover Korean War remains not only signifies a de facto end to war, but also the establishment of mutual trust and resolution of humanitarian issues. The Lee Myung-bak Administration selected joint remains recovery as a presidential election pledge and key national task and emphasized a full-scale pursuit of the South-North joint remains recovery initiative through the New Year’s state of the nation address on 4 January 2010. ----- As such, the MND is developing a detailed remains recovery implemen tation plan to be able to initiate the South-North joint remains recovery project without delay. Moreover, the MND is also preparing for the actual execution of the recovery project by developing sketch maps of locations where remains are estimated to be located in North Korea and booklets containing various testimonies regarding the locations of remains in North Korea based on Korean War records and various testimonies. The MND is planning to discuss the South-North joint remains recovery issue with North Korea as a top priority from a humanitarian and reciprocal perspective once inter-Korean relations improve and inter Korean military talks reconvene. ----- ----- |1|Col2| |---|---| |2|| 1 2 ----- **1 President Lee Myung-bak emphasizes the** need to resolutely pursue the defense reform initiative at the 64[th] Armed Forces Day ceremony [(]Gyeryongdae, September 2012[)] 2 Color Guards representing the MND, ROK JCS, Services, Units [(]the 2012 Armed Forces Day Ceremony[)] ##### Chapter 6 **Establishing Advanced** **Military Capabilities** Section 1 National Defense Reform to Establish a Multi-functional and Highly Efficient National Defense System Section 2 Reorganizing the Military into a Tailored Structure Section 3 Reforming the Force Structure for Efficiency Section 4 Raising the Standard of the Reserve Forces Section 5 Establishing a Defense Informatization Environment and Enhancing the Capabilities to Counter Cyber Threats 142 147 153 159 168 ----- **National Defense Reform to** **Establish a Multi-functional** **and Highly Efficient National** **Defense System** The Ministry of National Defense (MND) is pursuing the initiative of reforming the defense system in order to establish a ‘multi-functional and highly efficient national defense system’ that can be effective in future warfare and the strategic environment of the 21[st] century. The basic direction of the defense reform initiative is to transform the Republic of Korea (ROK) military into a military structure that is tailored to the operational environment of the Korean peninsula by taking into account both the existing North Korean threat and the drastic changes in the security situation and defense environment. Another direction for the defense reform initiative is to develop a ‘highly efficient advanced defense management system.’ **1. Progress of Defense Reform** In December 2005, the MND established the ‘Defense Reform Basic Plan 2006-2020’ to transform the ROK military into a ‘structure that relies less on manpower and more on intelligence and knowledge.’ This plan was established based on a Korean Peninsula security environment assessment of that time period when inter-Korean exchanges and cooperation were on the rise while military tension was decreasing. This plan was also based on the estimate that the instability and uncertainty in Northeast Asia would increase due to an arms race amongst nations in the region. In accordance with the ‘Defense Reform Act,’ the MND is in the process of revising and complementing the Defense Reform Basic Plan by **Section** # 1 ----- evaluating the domestic and international security situation along with the implementation status of the defense reform. The Defense Reform Basic Plan was revised on two occasions during the Lee Administration (June 2009 and August 2012). The ‘Defense Reform Basic Plan 2009-2020’ of June 2009 is a revised version of the ‘Defense Reform Basic Plan 2006-2020,’ and its key contents are as follows. In the area of military structure reform, requirements for response systems against increasing military threats, such as North Korea’s long-range missile tests and second nuclear test, and for a new ROK-U.S. combined defense system in preparation for wartime OPCON transition have been included. In the area of defense management reform, improvements have been made to include new tasks, such as expanding the utilization of private sector resources into the reform initiative in order to incorporate the changes to the defense environment and national finances. The ‘Defense Reform Basic Plan 2012-2030,’ which came out in 2012 after constructive revising and refining of the ‘Defense Reform Basic Plan 2009-2020,’ takes into account additional changes to the national defense environment to include North Korea’s diverse military threats like the attack on the ROK Ship Cheonan and the shelling of Yeonpyeongdo (island) in 2010, the transition of wartime OPCON, and the decrease in available conscripts. The major achievements of the defense reform initiative from 2010 to 2012 are shown below in Chart 6-1. **Chart 6-1. Major Achievements of the Defense Reform Initiative [(]2010−2012[)]** |Area|Major Achievements| |---|---| |Military Structure Reform|• Transition to an ‘Active Deterrence’ military strategy in order to deter the enemy’s will to commit provocations or start an all-out war • Established the Northwest Islands Defense Command (15 June 2011) and reinforced the defense capabilities of the Northwest Islands. • Reinforced the JCS organization and functions to establish a theater operations command structure. • Reduced the number of standing troops by 45,000, increased the ratio of officers by 4.7%. • Established the Cyber Command (January 2010) and expanded its organization and personnel. • Top priority to forces to counter North Korea’s local provocations was reinforced • Timely acquisition of capabilities against North Korea’s asymmetric threat| ----- |Defense Management Reform|• Readjusted the service period for enlisted members (December 2010) • Began female ROTC selection system and expansion of female personnel (January 2011) • Implemented the ‘promotion system based on merits’ (2011) without considering the source of commission, class of commission, and promotion year • Established the Joint Forces Military University (December 2011) and the Defense Language Institution (December 2012) • Implemented the tactical instructor system and comprehensive commissioning evaluation system (2012) • Fourteen military executive agencies are designated and in operation, including the Armed Forces Capital Hospital • Consolidated and closed units with similar functions such as the publishing depots, welfare groups, and installation organizations of each Service • Modernized military barracks (all construction orders and notifications complete as of 2012) • Established an advanced military medical support system| |---|---| **2. Defense Reform Basic Plan (2012−2030)** **| Military Structure Reform | The basic direction of military structure** reform focuses on transforming the military into a structure that is tailored to the operational environment of the Korean Peninsula. Reforms to the ‘command structure’ focus on transforming the current structure into a command structure centered on strengthened joint combat missions, taking into account the transition of wartime OPCON, changes to the future battlefield environment, and improvements and advancements in the military system. In particular, once the transition of wartime OPCON to the ROK takes place in 2015, an operations command and execution system led by the ROK military will be established under a new combined defense system. Regarding the ‘troop structure,’ considering the security threats, changes to the defense environment, and the unit reorganization plan, the number of standing troops will be gradually reduced from 636,000 personnel in 2012 to 522,000 by 2022. In addition, efforts such as increasing the percentage of officers at each Service up to 40 percent of its total manpower are being exerted to streamline the force structure in order to ensure that combat power is generated in an efficient manner. Reforms to the ‘unit structure’ will be conducted in an optimal manner considering the threat of the enemy and the operational environment. With the goal of acquiring the capability to execute network-centric integrated operations, the Army will focus on establishing an operations execution system led by corps-level units, strengthening the combat capabilities of ----- frontline units, reinforcing the unit structure to counter threats posed by North Korea’s special operations forces (SOF), and adjusting the coastal security mission transition plan (transition year to be determined after evaluating the security situation in 2017). With the goal of acquiring the capability to operate multidimensional forces encompassing surface, subsurface, and aerial assets in an integrated manner, the Navy will focus on establishing a Submarine Command and reinforcing its Special Operations Flotilla. With the goal of defending the ROK’s strategic islands and acquiring the capability to execute multi-dimensional high-speed landing operations, the Marine Corps will focus on establishing a Jeju Unit that will be responsible for executing integrated operations to defend Jejudo (island) and establishing an Aviation Wing that will reinforce the ROK military’s capabilities to defend the Northwest Islands and conduct amphibious operations. The Air Force will establish a Tactical Air Control Wing, an Air Intelligence Group, and a Satellite Surveillance Control Group to acquire air and space operational capabilities. In addition to these efforts, the Army Missile Command and Cyber Command will also be reorganized. Regarding the ‘force structure,’ forces enhancement will be pursued with a focus on acquiring the necessary capabilities to conduct future warfare operations based on jointness, and with consideration to the security threats and the national defense conditions. **| Defense Management Reform | Reforms for defense management** will be pursued with a focus on establishing a ‘highly efficient and advanced defense management system.’ In order to improve the defense personnel management system, the MND plans to adjust the general officer quota and optimize the military rank system. In addition, it plans to introduce the system of reappointing reserve officers into active service even during peacetime and to recruit highly qualified personnel and expand the utilization of civilians through means such as increasing the ratio of civilian faculty in the Service academies to 40 percent of the total faculty. Furthermore, the Army will modify its system of branch and military occupational specialty (MOS) to befit both the future battlefield environment and the military structural reform. ----- To increase the efficiency of defense management, the Lean Six Sigma concept will be expanded to be applied to each unit, and the use of civilian resources will be increased in areas such as logistics and maintenance. In addition, the defense procurement and defense industry support systems will be improved by readjusting the role and structure of the MND and Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA). Through this effort, a channel of technological cooperation between the private sector and the military will be established, while modernizing the military acquisition system through the establishment of regional consolidated supply depots and improving the quality of service member’s, personal military gear. The MND will also continue to pursue various welfare initiatives such as expanding welfare projects for enlisted service members focused on improving their welfare and quality of life, improving the meal quality to better incorporate the preference of the younger generation, ushering in a modern military health care system, enhancing the welfare infrastructure and support for military family members, and expanding job opportunities for service members who are being discharged after a long-term military service. ----- **Reorganizing the Military into** **a Tailored Structure** The ROK military will go through structural changes to transform itself into a force that is capable of executing information and network-centric warfare best suited for future combat execution. For this initiative, the ROK military is currently undergoing a structural reform to optimize itself for combat by tailoring the structures of its command, troop, unit, and force[1] to the mission and function of each unit at each echelon, execution of combat operations, and the operational environment. The command structure will be streamlined to focus on combat missions with enhanced jointness. The troop structure will be scaled down with a phased decrease in the number of active-duty service members, but will be better trained and equipped. The force structure will be reformed with the focus on strengthening the frontline combat units and attaining victory in battle. **1. Command Structure** Enhancing jointness is an essential factor in maximizing the effectiveness of integrating the efforts of the military in the battlefield environment of the 21[st] century. The need to coordinate and integrate each Service’s operational effort is increasing as the ground, sea, air, and cyberspace domains overlap with each other. As such, the ROK military is developing a command structure that is capable of maximizing the synergy of all functions by concentrating its efforts on a single objective. In particular, with the transition of wartime OPCON to the ROK military in 2015, the current combined defense system, centered around the Combined Forces Command, will be transformed to a structure based on the ROK-U.S. Strategic Alliance, with the ROK military taking the leading role in both the command and execution of operations. Accordingly, a new combined command and control structure will be **Section** # 2 **1. Military Structure** Overall composition of the military in regard to its mission. (1) Command Structure: command relationship structure ranging from the MND, JCS, to the combat units (2) Troop Structure: personnel composition in terms of branch or rank that form the military structure (3) Unit Structure: organizational structure based on units at each echelon that facilitates the use of combat power (4) Forces Structure: composition of weapon systems according to echelon and type ----- developed to facilitate the seamless coordination and execution of operations between the ROK and the U.S. Additionally, a horizontal and vertical network-centric command and control system will be established to enable the military to be joint, synchronized, and integrated by establishing a C4I system and developing an operational execution system that are based on a network-centric infrastructure that incorporates the changing security environment and continuously advancing Information Technology. **2. Troop Structure** Gradually reducing the troop size and better equipping and training the troops constitute the core of the troop structure reform. The reduction in troop level will occur in phases in conjunction with the changes to the security environment, the fielding of highly advanced weapon systems, the availability of troop resources, and the plan to reorganize units. The MND has set the goal of maintaining an active service troop level of 522,000 in 2022. The current troop size and the planned size in 2022 are depicted below in Chart 6-2. **Chart 6-2. Active-duty troop reduction in accordance with the Defense Reform Basic Plan** **End of 2012** **2022** **Total 636,000** **Total 522,000** Army (approx. 501,000) Army (approx. 387,000) Navy (approx. 41,000) Navy (approx. 41,000) Marine Corps (approx. 29,000) Marine Corps (approx. 29,000) Air Force (approx. 65,000) Air Force (approx. 65,000) **End of 2012** **Total 636,000** Army (approx. 501,000) Navy (approx. 41,000) Marine Corps (approx. 29,000) Air Force (approx. 65,000) **2022** **Total 522,000** Army (approx. 387,000) Navy (approx. 41,000) Marine Corps (approx. 29,000) Air Force (approx. 65,000) Although the number of active-duty troops will decrease, the force structure will transform into a structure that possesses strengthened combat capabilities by increasing the ratio of cadres, especially those who will serve mid- to long-term. As such, this initiative will guarantee the ----- efficient operation of highly advanced equipment and the exertion of optimal combat power. **3. Unit Structure** **| Army | By taking into account the military threat posed by North** Korea and the ROK military’s operational capability, the Army will optimize the requirements and the readiness disposition of its units and develop its unit structure into a structure that befits the operational environment of the Korean Peninsula. Changes to the Army’s unit structure are shown in Chart 6-3. **Chart 6-3. Changes to the Army Unit Structure [(]2012−2030[)]** **Current** **ROK Army Headquarters** **Post-reform** **Capital Defense** **Command** **Special Warfare** **Command** **Army Aviation** **Operations Command** **Army Missile** **Command** **Army Logistics** **Command** **Army Training and** **Doctrine Command** |Col1|Col2| |---|---| |ROK 3rd ROK 2nd my Army Operations Command rps Corps 3) (5)|| ||S| ||| ||O| ||| ||| **ROK Army Headquarters** **Ground** **2[nd]** **Capital Defense** **Operations** **Operations** **Command** **Command** **Command** **Special Warfare** **Command** **Regional** **Maneuver** **Army Aviation** **Corps [(]5[)]** **Corps [(]1[)]** **Command** **Army Missile** **Command** **Army Logistics** **Command** **Army Training and** **Doctrine Command** The Army will disestablish the First and Third ROK Armies and establish a corps-based mission execution system. Regional corps will be expanded and tailored to the operational environment of the eastern and western sectors of the Korean Peninsula depending on their location. Accordingly, regional corps will defend their respective frontline areas of responsibility at each axis as the highest tactical echelon of ground operations. In addition, regional corps will have enhanced counter-fire capabilities as well as improved combat support capabilities through the formation of an aviation group, an air defense artillery group, and a ----- logistics support brigade, so that regional corps can be operated as the main echelon in offensive operations. The maneuver corps will be the strategic and operational reserve and will be used as the main echelon in high-speed multi-dimensional maneuver operations. Given the geographical characteristics of the Korean Peninsula, brigades will be reorganized as the basic tactical echelons capable of executing independent operations at the bridge level. In accordance with this reorganization plan, units will be tailored to their respective missions with the units in the western sector becoming more mechanized and the units in the eastern sector becoming more light infantry-oriented. In particular, as a means to reinforce the ‘spearhead combat power,’ the combat capabilities of the frontline units will be signif icantly enhanced by placing priority on reinforcing the capabilities of infantry battalions. **| Navy | The Navy will not only prepare against existing threats by** acquiring the capability to operate an integrated multi-dimensional maritime force, but will streamline its structure to be able to protect the full array of national interest, such as defending the sea lanes and maritime resources. Changes to the unit structure of the Navy are shown in Chart 6-4. **Chart 6-4. Changes to the Navy Unit Structure [(]2012−2030[)]** **Current** **Post-reform** **ROK Navy Headquarters** **Group** **Navy Headquarters** **Group** |Col1|Col2| |---|---| |val Marine Navy Education Navy tions Corps and Training Logistics mand Command Command Command Fleet Commands (3) Dir Repo Un Submarine Flotilla Air Wing Maritime Task Flotilla Component Flotilla Special Warfare Flotilla Maritime Intelligence|| |Col1|Col2| |---|---| |val Marine Navy Education Navy tions Corps and Training Logistics mand Command Command Command Fleet Commands (3) Dir Repo Un Submarine Command Air Wing Maritime Task Flotilla Component Flotilla Special Warfare Flotilla Maritime Intelligence|| ----- The Navy will expand its submarine flotilla into a submarine command and transform its unit structure into a maritime task force by reducing its small-surface vessels while increasing the medium- and large-surface ships such as the next-generation destroyers, frigates, and Aegis-class destroyers. Meanwhile, the Marine Corps will acquire various capabilities to defend the strategic islands and execute multi-dimensional high-speed amphibious operations in order to transform its unit structure into a structure that is tailored to carrying out missions, such as deterring and responding to local provocations, deploying forces for oversea missions, and providing support for disaster relief. Changes to the unit structure of the Marine Corps are shown in Chart 6-5. **Chart 6-5. Changes to the Marine Corps Unit Structure [(]2012−2030[)]** **Current** **Post-reform** **Marine Corps Command /** **Marine Corps Command /** **Northwest Islands Defense Command** **Northwest Islands Defense Command** |Col1|Col2| |---|---| |st 2nd 6th Yeonp sion Division Brigade U * Northwest Isl Defense Comman operational con|| **Jeju Defense** **Command** **(Under 3[rd] Fleet)** **Amphibious** **Education** **Support** **and Training** **Group** **Group** **Marine Corps Command /** **Northwest Islands Defense Command** **1[st]** **2[nd]** **6[th]** **_Yeonpyeong_** **Division** **Division** **Brigade** **Unit** *[ Northwest Island ] Defense Command has operational control. **Amphibious** **Education** **Aviation** **Support** **and Training** **_Jeju Unit_** **Group** **Group** **Group** The Marine Corps will create a unit in Jejudo (island) and establish a system to execute the island’s integrated defense as well as ground operations. In addition, an aviation group will be established for both attack and mobility forces during amphibious and ground operations. **| Air Force | The Air Force will streamline its forces in the direction of** maximizing its capabilities to conduct effects-based air and space operations by enhancing its precision strike capability and expanding its operational range. Changes to the unit structure of the Air Force are shown in Chart 6-6. ----- **Chart 6-6. Changes to the Air Force Unit Structure [(]2012−2030[)]** **Current** **Post-reform** **Air Force Headquarters** **Air Force Headquarters** **Tactical Intelligence** |Col1|Col2| |---|---| |orce Air Force Education Air Force Dir tions and Training Logistics Repo mand Command Command Un Combat Commands (2) Air Defense Artillery Command Air Defense and Control Wing Tactical Air Control Group|| **Group** **Direct** **Reporting** **Units** **Air Force** **Operations** **Command** **Direct** **Reporting** **Units** **Control Unit** |Col1|Col2| |---|---| |Air Force Education Air Force Di and Training Logistics Rep Command Command U Combat Commands (2) Air Defense Artillery Command Air Defense and Control Wing Tactical Air Control Wing Aerial Intelligence Wing Satellite Surveillance &|| The Air Force plans to expand the Tactical Air Control Group into the Tactical Air Control Wing to strengthen its ability to execute joint operations, and to expand the Tactical Information Group into the Aerial Intelligence Wing to strengthen its aerial reconnaissance and ISR support capabilities. Furthermore, the Air Force plans to establish a Satellite Surveillance & Control Unit that will conduct satellite surveillance missions over the Korean Peninsula. ----- **Reforming the Force** **Structure for Efficiency** The ROK military is pursuing a force enhancement initiative to effectively deal with North Korean threats as well as other potential threats by efficiently allocating the defense budget. Accordingly, the ROK military is in the process of acquiring early-warning, real-time surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities. It is also establishing command and control, and communication systems that enable the execution of operations in a networkcentric operation environment (NCOE),[1] while improving the quality of its mobility and strike systems. **1. Direction of Force Structure Development** The MND is developing its force structure to first prepare against threats of local provocation by North Korea and then to acquire an appropriate level of forces to proactively prepare against a full-scale war and other potential threats. The areas of force structure development are battle space awareness, command and control, ground forces, maritime and amphibious forces, air forces, force protection, and other areas. The force structures in these areas are being streamlined in the following direction. First, in the area of battle space awareness, a system for surveillance, reconnaissance, and early warning will be established for operations over the Korean Peninsula and the surrounding areas. In addition, capabilities to collect, analyze, process, and operate tactical information in real time will be improved for each echelon. Second, in the area of command and control, mission execution in NCOE will be ensured by establishing a command and control and communications system that guarantees jointness and interoperability. **Section** # 3 **1. Network Centric Operational** **Environment [(]NCOE[)]** Operational environment in which the various combat elements, such as the detection system, command and control organization, and strike methods are connected through a network, enabling friendly forces to share the battle space situation. This results in an integrated and efficient combat capability by enabling faster decision making, quicker deployment, and increased lethality in attacks. ----- Third, in the area of ground forces, priority will be placed on acquiring forces required to ensure the complete utilization of combat power and prepare against local provocations. In addition, the integrity of power projection will be guaranteed through the timely acquisition of forces required for major units going through the streamlining process. Fourth, in the area of maritime and amphibious forces, capabilities required for maritime control of waters surrounding the Korean Peninsula, protection of sea lanes, and the execution of joint operations will gradually be expanded. Fifth, in the area of air force, capabilities to achieve air superiority within the area of operation and to conduct precision air strikes will be attained along with the capability to execute long range operations. Sixth, in the area of force protection and other areas, air defense forces required for countering threats from the air will be acquired, and CBR capabilities will be reinforced to increase survivability. **2. Pursuing Force Enhancement** **| 2011 Major Force Enhancement Projects | The defense budget in** 2011 was 31.4031 trillion KRW, of which the force enhancement budget was 9.6935 trillion KRW. This is a 6.5 percent increase from 2010. In 2011, there were 161 major projects in progress (9.5592 trillion KRW) and 28 new projects (134.3 billion KRW). The major force enhancement projects are shown in Chart 6-7. **Chart 6-7. Major Force Enhancement Projects of 2011** Airborne Early Warning and Control System K-21 infantry fighting vehicle |Weapons Systems|Projects in Progress|New Projects in 2011| |---|---|---| |Surveillance, Reconnaissance/ Command and Control, Communications|• Airborne Early Warning and Control System • Military Satellite Communications Equipment • Establishment of Cyber Command|• Next-generation Thermal Surveillance Equipment • Next-generation Electronic Warfare Equipment • Next-generation Military Satellite Communications System| |Maneuver and Fire|• K-21 Infantry Fighting Vehicle • K-9 Self-propelled Artillery • Counter-fire Detection Radar|• Next-generation Light Recovery Vehicle • Hostile Artillery Locater (HALO) • Next-generation Counter-fire Detection Radar| ----- |Vessel|• Gwanggaeto-III Class Aegis Destroyer • J angbogo-II Class Submarine • Next-generation PKG-A class patrol vessel|• Frigate (Ulsan Class Batch-II) • Next-generation Fast Combat Support Ship (AOE-II)| |---|---|---| |Aircraft|• F-15K Fighter • Advanced Trainer (T-50/TA-50) • C-130H Upgrade|• Light Attack Aircraft (FA-50) • KF-16 Upgrade • Boramae (KFX) Program R&D| K-9 self-propelled Artillery _Gwanggaeto the Great III class Aegis_ destroyer _Jangbogo-II class submarine_ **| 2012 Force Enhancement Program | The defense budget in 2012** was 32.9576 trillion KRW, of which the force enhancement budget was 9.8938 trillion KRW. This is a 2.1 per cent increase from 2011. In 2012, there were 160 major projects in progress (9.6745 trillion KRW) and 34 new projects (219.3 billion KRW). The major force enhancement projects are shown in Chart 6-8. **Chart 6-8. Major Force Enhancement Projects of 2012** |Weapons Systems|Projects in Progress|New Projects in 2012| |---|---|---| |Surveillance, Reconnaissance/ Command and Control, Communications|• Airborne Early Warning and Control System • Military Satellite Communications Equipment • Establish Cyber Command|• Tactical Reconnaissance Intelligence Collection System • Service-wide Satellite Air Defense Warn- ing System • KJCCS Upgrade R&D| |Maneuver and Fire|• K-21 Infantry Fighting Vehicle • K-9 Self-propelled Artillery • Counter-fire Detection Radar|• Multi layer Coastal Surveillance System • Establish Ground Operations Command • Type II Night and Day Rifle Scope| |Vessel|• G wanggaeto-III Class Aegis Destroyer • J angbogo-II Class Submarine • Next-generation patrol vessel (PKG-A)|• Special Warfare Support Ship/Special Ops Infiltration Vessel • Establish Submarine Command • Next-generation patrol vessel (PKX-B)| |Aircraft|• F-15K Fighter • Light Attack Aircraft (FA-50) • C-130H Upgrade|• Next-generation Fighter (F-X) • Large Attack Helicopter • Maritime Operations Helicopter| **| Mid-term Force Improvement Plan | The ROK military intends to** build an ‘elite force that is capable of responding effectively against North Korea as well as other potential threats.’ This goal can be achieved by integrating the surveillance, decision making, and strike systems at all echelons into a network, while creating a comprehensive force structure. The structure of this plan is shown in Chart 6-9. ----- **Chart 6-9. Targets for Force Build-up** **Build an effective force that is capable of responding effectively** **against North Korea as well as other potential threats** **Surveillance and** **Reconnaissance** **System [(]Sensor[)]** **Command and Control, Communications** **Computers & Intelligence** **Strike System** **(Shooter)** |Joi C|nt 4I| |---|---| |Gro C|und 4I| |---|---| |Compu|uters & Intelligenc (C4I)|Col3|ce| |---|---|---|---| |Intelligence Processing|Command and Control||| ||Combined C4I (AKJCCS) Joint C4I||| |Military Intelligence Processing System (MIMS, MIMS-C)|Navy|Air Force|| ||C4I Gro C|C4I und 4I|| |Tactic S|C4I for Battalion and Below Echelons al Information Communic ystem / Tactical Data Lin||ati k| Category Multi-purpose Satellite **ROK** **JCS** Airborne Early Warning and Control System **Operations** **Command** **– Regiment** UAV **Battalion** **– Platoon** Maritime Patrol Aircraft _Hyunmu Upgrade, MLRS_ K-9, K-2 Tank _Jangbogo-II/III class_ submarine _Gwanggaeto-II/III class_ destroyer F-X, F-15K In order to meet the target of force build-up, priority will be placed on securing capabilities to prepare against North Korean threats. However, capabilities to counter potential and non-military threats will also be acquired simultaneously. The ROK military is planning to place priority on acquiring the following capabilities: forces to prepare against threats of local provocation by North Korea; capabilities and forces to reinforce the combat capabilities of battalion level units and below; and forces to counter North Korea’s asymmetric threats such as missiles, long-range artillery, cyber threats, chemical and biological weapons, and nuclear threats. Furthermore, each echelon’s capability will be enhanced to befit future warfare operations in order to prepare for potential threats. To achieve this objective, the MND will pursue a total of 290 force enhancement projects from 2013 to 2017. 196 projects, including the K-21 Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) and the second batch of F-15Ks, are in ----- progress, while 94 projects such as the next-generation destroyer and tanker aircraft programs will commence as new projects. The direction of force enhancement from 2013 to 2017 is as follows. First, regarding the surveillance and reconnaissance system, the goal will be to acquire indigenous ROK military capabilities to carry out battlefield surveillance and intelligence gathering over the Korean peninsula and the surrounding region. Accordingly, the ROK military will acquire Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft to conduct strategic level surveillance and early warning. The ROK military will also acquire high-altitude unmanned aerial vehicles (HUAV) and a tactical reconnaissance intelligence gathering system to reinforce its surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. In addition, the ROK military will develop a division-level reconnaissance UAV to bolster the division’s surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities and acquire small reconnaissance UAVs that can be utilized at the battalion level. Second, regarding the command and control and communications system, the goal is to establish a network centric operational environment by creating a strategic and tactical C4I system and battlefield network. In order to ensure a JCS-led command and control system, the ROK military will upgrade its joint command and control system capability, develop and acquire the Joint Tactical Data Link System (JTDLS)[2] as well as the Joint Fire Operation System-Korea (JFOS-K) to distribute digitized tactical information during joint operations. The ground tactical C4I system will undergo a second round of improvements and the ground tactical data link and battle command system for battalions and lower level units will be developed to ensure real-time distribution of tactical information to small units. The ROK military will also acquire the Tactical Information Communication Network (TICN)[3] that will enable the high-capacity transmission of multi-media data. Third, regarding the strike systems, the ROK military will improve the capabilities of its air, naval, and ground forces to conduct high-speed multi-dimensional movements and its capabilities to carry out long-range precision strikes. It will also acquire forces with enhanced protective capabilities. **2. Joint Tactical Data Link System** **(JTDLS)** A system to distribute joint tactical information to the major weapon system - e.g., tanks, helicopters, ships, aircraft - of the three Services. **3. Tactical Information Communication** **Network [(]TICN[)]** A tactical communication system that incorporates the wireless network and the telephone network including mobile communication. ----- In order to improve the ROK military’s long-range strike capabilities, priority will be given to acquiring assets that can effectively strike critical targets, such as nuclear and missile facilities, throughout the entire North Korean region, based on the New Missile Guideline, which was revised in October 2012. In terms of ground forces, K-21 IFVs, K-9 self-propelled artillery, counter-fire detection radars, and K-2 tanks will continue to be procured while new procurements will commence for the wheeled IFVs and next-generation MLRS systems. Regarding the maritime and amphibious forces, the ROK military will continue to procure next generation frigates and the Jangbogo-II class submarines (1,800-ton class) while newly acquiring next-generation mine laying ships and next-generation amphibious landing ships. In terms of air capabilities, next-generation fighters (F-X), long-range air-to-surface missiles, large attack helicopters (LAH), and maritime operations helicopters will be procured. In order to enhance air defense and CBRN protection capabilities, the ROK military will acquire mid-range surface-to-air missiles (Cheongung), an air defense command and control warning system, and next-generation decontamination vehicles. Fourth, in order to reinforce the deployed forces, the ROK military will make improvements to outdated and degraded capabilities and continue to acquire combat reserve ammunition to ensure combat sustainability. Regarding the ground forces, the ROK military will upgrade the capabilities of the K-1/K1A1 tanks, K-200 armored personnel carriers, K-277 armored command vehicles, and K-55 self-propelled guns. With regard to the naval forces, improvements will be made on anti-submarine warfare capabilities of the combat vessels that are equal to or larger than the PCC class. Regarding the air forces, the ROK military will improve the weapons capabilities of the F-16s and KF-16s. Wheeled IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicle) ----- **Raising the Standard of the** **Reserve Forces** The reserve forces, in conjunction with the active-duty forces, deter war during peacetime and provide the necessary combat power required for national survival during contingencies. The MND is modifying the relevant laws, regulations, and institutions related to mobilization and is continuing to make improvements to the mobilization system in order to raise the standard of the reserve forces to that of the active-duty forces. In addition, the MND has established a reserve force operation and management system, and at the same time, it is improving the institutional framework and conditions of reserve force training, and building an elite force through rigorous training. **1. Modifying the Laws and Regulations regarding Mobiliza-** **tion** The laws and regulations regarding mobilization are the following. The Emergency Resources Management Act which includes provisions related to establishing peacetime emergency response plans and conducting surveys and training on resources to be mobilized; the Military Service Act which includes provisions related to mobilizing and training reservists; and the Bill on Wartime Resource Mobilization (draft) which includes provisions related to mobilizing, controlling, and managing personnel and material resources during wartime. Of these laws and regulations, the Bill on Wartime Resources Mobilization (draft) is a wartime statute[1] that can be effectuated upon an emergency declaration by the President if the circumstances restrict the National Assembly from deliberating and passing the Bill, or if it is initially impossible for the National Assembly to convene. **Section** # 4 **1. Wartime Statute** A statute that is effectuated during wartime. A wartime statute stipulates special provisions pertaining to administration, economy, finances, judicial actions, etc. when the nation is at war or in a major combat situation, and overrides peacetime legislative procedures in accordance with Article 76 of the Constitution. ----- In response to the attack against the ROK Ship Cheonan and the shelling of Yeonpyeongdo (island) in 2010, the Act on Partial Mobilization to Overcome Crises and Local Provocations was enacted in 2011, which establishes a partial mobilization system to mobilize portions of the national resources to rapidly resolve the situation and prevent an all-out escalation to war due to provocations such as enemy shellings, infiltrations or provocations. In addition, through consultation with the relevant government agencies such as the Ministry of Public Administration and Security and the Ministry of Government Legislation, the Emergency Resources Management Act has been revised to allow partial utilization of national resources, personnel, and material during an emergency situation where integrated defense is required. With partial mobilization now possible, the ROK military can utilize a flexible mobilization system to respond to local provocations and prepare for an all-out war during emergency situations, while minimizing the public’s anxiety and concerns and the impact to the national economy that can be caused by a full-scale mobilization. **2. Managing Mobilized Resources and Improving the Exe-** **cution System** **| The Mobilization System of Troops and Materials | The MND is** revising the Personnel Mobilization System to reduce the time needed for the mobilized troops to conduct their missions. The system is under revision to minimize the changes of the units to which the reservists are assigned and also to allow the individual units to request and receive mobilized reservists with the relevant military occupa tional specialty (MOS) required by the units. Also, measures are being taken to utilize the railway system to facilitate the movement of reservists who need to travel long distances. In addition, reservists are being managed efficiently and systematically even during peacetime so that they can contribute to enhancing the overall combat power when needed. Education on reservist duties is provided to service members prior to their discharge, and after they return to their ----- civilian lives, the bond between the reservists and their respective units continues to be strengthened through homecoming events, social networking systems, e-mails, and command letters. Furthermore, in order to improve the material mobilization system, efforts are being made to verify the validity for mobilization and implement measures to efficiently utilize excellent civilian resources. Companies with excellent production capabilities or new products and technologies are placed on the mobilization list, and real time production exercises are conducted every year. Also, the MND is working to provide additional incentives for those companies that are designated for mobili zation. **| Defense mobilization information system | From 2004 to 2010,** the MND established the Defense Mobilization Information System by dividing the reserve force affairs into the following three categories: management of reservists, personnel mobilization, and material mobili zation. The Defense Mobilization Information System was developed to support the prompt and systematic management of resources by efficiently managing the mobilization resources and streamlining the tasks associated with mobilization. Accordingly, it has become possible for the MND to provide better services to the reservists through this system by carrying out resource management and administrative duties pertaining to training. The Defense Mobilization Information System will continue to be upgraded through measures such as the mobilization simulation model, which will be developed to analyze and evaluate the mobilization capabilities in real time. The structure of the Defense Mobilization Information System is shown in Chart 6-10. ----- **Chart 6-10. Defense Mobilization Information System** **MND Synchronized** **System** Personnel Information System Logistics Information System Transportation Information system Battlefield Management System (KJCCS, etc.) **Resource Management** **Agency Synchronized System** **Ministry of Public** **Administration and Security** (Emergency Response Resource Information Management System[)] Ministry of Knowledge and Economy Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime affairs Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Fishery, and Food Affairs Ministry of Health and Welfare Korea Food and Drug Administration Korea Communications Commission **Military Manpower Administration** (Military Manpower Administrative Integrated Information system[)] |Col1|Defense Mobilization Information System|Col3| |---|---|---| ||Reserve Forces Personnel Material Management Mobilization Mobilization Organization Troop Industry Management Mobilization Mobilization Reservist Wartime Transportation Education Labor Mobilization and Training Mobilization Construction Mobilization Mobilization Mobilization Homeland of Communications Defense Force Technicians Mobilization Mobilization Simulation Model|| |||| |||| |||| |||| |||| |||| **3. Establishing Management and Operations System for** **Reservists** **| Organization and resource management | Reservists are classified** into either the mobilized reserve force or the homeland defense reserve force depending on their mission. The mobilized reserve force is composed of reservists who have been discharged from active duty in the past four years. They are mobilized as personnel to support the expansion or establishment of regular forces, or to replenish personnel losses, and carry out regular operational missions. The homeland defense reserve force is composed of reservists who have been discharged from active duty five to eight years ago. They conduct homeland defense operations in their designated areas of responsibility (AOR). In accordance with ‘the Military Personnel Management Act,’ retired officers, warrant officers, and non-commissioned officers are obligated to be part of the reserve force until they reach the full retirement age[2] for their respective ranks. For enlisted service members, they are part of the reserve force for eight years after they are discharged. ROK citizens over the age of 18, who are not incorporated into the reserve force, can apply to become homeland reservists. As of March 2012, approximately 10,000 volunteers, including women, are serving as members of the homeland reserve force. The size of the reserve force, as of March 2012, is around **2. Retirement Age** Retirement Age for Officers: Sergeant 1[st] Class/Chief Petty Officer (45), Master Sergeant/Senior Chief Petty Officer (53), Sergeant Major/Chief Master Sergeant/Master Chief Petty Officer (55), Warrant Officer (55), Company Grade officer (43), Major/ Lieutenant Commander (45), Lieutenant Colonel/Commander (53), Colonel/ Captain (56) ----- 2.9 million, and they are organized into local reserve units for each neighborhood, township, and village as well as into the workplace reserve units. The status of reserve forces is shown in Chart 6-11. **Chart 6-11. Status of Reserve Forces [(]as of March 2012[)]** **Unit: 10,000 people** |Years Since Discharge from Active Duty|Col2|Col3|Composition|Col5|Col6| |---|---|---|---|---|---| |Total|Within 4 years (Mobilization Reservists)|5 to 8 years (Homeland Defense Reservists)|Total|Regional Reservists|Reservists Affiliated to Work| |290|134|156|290|223|67| **| Establishment of organizations to manage the reserve force |** The MND is operating reserve force management organizations to efficiently manage and operate reserve forces. Reserve forces management organizations consist of the following organizations: mobilization support groups and mobilization replacement battalions that prepare for efficient mobilization during wartime; reserve force training units that provide training to reservists during peacetime; and homeland regional units that carry out homeland defense missions. A mobilization support group will be established for each Homeland Reserve Division. During peacetime, the support group conducts mobili zation training and manages the troops, materials, and equipment of the relevant mobilization replacement battalion. During wartime, the support group is responsible for establishing mobilization replacement battalions and providing replacements to the front lines. As of 2012, seven mobili zation support groups have been established, and a total of 11 will be established by 2015. Reserve force training groups will be established by consolidating over 200 battalion-level training grounds located in cities, counties, and districts into technologically advanced regiment-level training areas. As such, one region will be designated as a trial area to implement this initiative until 2015. At the same time, the ROK military plans to establish ten reserve force training groups by 2020 in areas larger than metropolitan cities and establish additional training groups in the city, county, and district areas after 2020, considering the security environment and the Establishment of a Female Reserve Unit in the 17[th] Division (May 2012) Establishment of the 55[th] Division’s Mobilization Support Group (March 2012) ----- conditions of the respective regions. Homeland regional units will function as an intermediary echelon between an active-duty battalion and a reserve company of the military unit (brigade level or above) responsible for the area, and carry out reserve forces resource management, command and control of regional reserve unit companies, and homeland defense operations during peacetime and wartime. **| Providing better equipment to the reserve forces | The MND is** planning to replace outdated individual and crew-served weapons of reserve forces with new equipment. Old individual weapons will be replaced with the M16A1 in line with the individual firearms initiative for active-duty units. Legacy crew-served weapons will also gradually be replaced with modernized weapons. The insufficient combat gears for homeland reserve forces will also be acquired on a yearly basis until 2015. In particular, priority will be given to essential items for combat and survival such as bulletproof helmets and gas masks. Old communications equipment will be replaced with new communications equipment that can be used for integrated operations with the civilian sector, government, military, and police. **4. Improvements to the Reserve Force Training System** **and Conditions** All reservists, apart from those who are deferred,[3] undergo training to prepare for mobilization as well as homeland defense operations during wartime. Training for reservists can be divided into the following categories: mobilization training, supplementary mobilization reserve training, and homeland defense training. The training schedule by type and training hours is shown in Chart 6-12. **3. Personnel Deferred from Training** These personnel are deferred from training in accordance with the ‘Act on the Establishment of Homeland Defense Reserve Forces’ or by the discretion of the Minister of National Defense, and are treated as having completed their training. These personnel are classified by occupation. However, separate qualification and criteria can be made for selection if required. Currently, 57 occupations including policemen, firefighters, and prison guards are designated as occupations that are deferred from reserve training. ----- **Chart 6-12. Reservist Training Schedule [(]as of 2012[)]** |Category|Col2|Col3|Mobilization Training|Supplementary Mobilization Training|Basic Training for Homeland Defense|Training under Homeland Defense OPLAN|Roll Call| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |Enlisted|1st to 4th Year|Designated for Mobilization|2 nights and 3 days|-|-|-|-| |||Non-designated|-|24 hours|-|12 hours|| ||5th to 6th Year|Designated for Mobilization|-|-|8 hours|6 hours|4 hours| |||Non-designated|||8 hours|12 hours|| ||7th to 8th Year||Organized without Training||||| |Officers and NCOs|1st to 6th Year|Designated for Mobilization|2 nights and 3 days|-|-|-|-| |||Non-designated||2 nights and 3 days|||| ||After 7th Year||Organized without Training||||| |Volunteers||||||6 hours|| **| Improvements to the training system and conditions | The MND** provides security education to reservists so that they can maintain firm security and national awareness and conducts realistic training such as survival game training to generate enhanced training experience. The level of achievement for groups and individuals are evaluated during training, and various incentives such as permission to depart early are given to instill motivation for training. Reserve force snipers have been organized to prepare for the urbanization of the areas of operation of homeland defense reserve divisions, and the increasing threat from the enemy’s special warfare units. Since 2011, 30,000 reservists have been selected as snipers with the selection being made based on active duty experience and marksmanship. Also, strengthened marksmanship training for these snipers are being provided in order to maintain and enhance their skills. In addition, the MND is operating the ‘holiday reserve training system’ which provides flexibility for reservists in receiving training on holidays, the internet-based ‘reserve training schedule selection system’ which enables reservists to choose when they will reserve training, and the ‘nationwide reserve force training location system’ which allows reservists to receive training at a location of their choice. The status of holiday and Mobilization Training (Artillery Firing Training) Sniper Training (Effective Range Marksmanship Training) ----- nationwide training is shown in Chart 6-13. **Chart 6-13. Holiday and Nationwide Training Status** **Unit: Number of Persons (%)** **4. Total Number of Training Reservists** The total number of training reservists is the sum of those taking part in supplementary mobilization training and basic training for homeland defense, who can take part in holiday and national wide training. |Category|Total Number of 4 Training Reservists|Holiday Training|Nationwide Training| |---|---|---|---| |2009|1,561,259|15,561(1.00)|71,789(4.60)| |2010|1,518,287|18,947(1.24)|98,773(6.50)| |2011|1,145,016|18,592(1.62)|56,312(4.91)| The MND is making improvements to three major areas that cause inconvenience for reservists: food rationing, transportation, and convenience facilities in the training areas. To this end, the MND is making continued efforts such as increasing the unit price of meals and emplacing stricter hygienic standards for lunch box suppliers, expanding public transportation services to and from the training units, and building convenience facilities such as new reserve force dining facilities. In addition, for a more scientific approach to reserve forces training, computer simulated training equipment will be procured and installed in regiment-level training grounds for full-time operation, enabling reservists to receive training at their convenience. In a period of two years from the beginning of 2010 to the end of 2011, all restrooms have been modernized in the reserve force training areas, and starting from 2012, food allowances are also being provided to the partic ipants of homeland defense operations training. In addition, with the commencement of the mobile reservist information service system in 2012, reservists can look up various training information, choose and make changes to their training schedule, and even postpone their training, from any location at anytime. **| Future Development of Reserve Forces Training | Reserve training** for key reserve forces such reserve cadres need to be strengthened, within the scope of not affecting their daily lives, so that these reserve forces can generate combat power equivalent to that of active duty forces during contingencies. Compensation for reservists attending education and training will ----- gradually increase annually to meet the actual expenses incurred by partic ipation. Also, training allowances for additional training will be increased considering the salary of active-duty cadres. The status of annual training allowances provided to reservists is shown in Chart 6-14. **Chart 6-14. Annual Training Allowance per Reservist [(]Transportation and Lunch[)]** |Col1|Col2|Col3|Unit: KRW/Day| |---|---|---|---| |Category|2009|2010−2011|2012| |Amount|7,000|9,000|10,000| ----- **Establishing a Defense** **Informatization Environment** **and Enhancing the Capabilities** **to Counter Cyber Threats** Defense informatization plays a crucial role in attaining an advanced military capacity and an efficient defense management by applying highly advanced information technology. The MND’s vision for defense informatization is to establish a ‘networkcentric informatization of defense knowledge,’ and to realize this vision, it is exerting its efforts to advance its defense informatization promotion framework and to establish a sophisticated defense information system. In addition, it is reinforcing its information security systems and response capabilities to effectively cope with transnational cyber threats. **1. Framework to Advance the Defense Informatization Pro-** **motion System** **| Establishing the Basic Plan for Defense Informatization | The** MND is promoting an objective-oriented informatization by establishing the ‘Basic Plan for Defense Informatization,’[1] based on the ‘Act Regarding the Foundation for Defense Information Resource Management’ (hereafter the Act on Defense Informatization), which was enacted in 2010. The ‘Basic Plan for Defense Informatization’ is a comprehensive development execution plan, which lays out the defense informatization policies in detail. Through this plan, the MND provides the direction of development for mid-to-long-term defense informatization and the required guidance for coordination and control of informatization projects of the ROK JCS, each Service, and agencies, as well as guidelines for **Section** # 5 **1. Main Contents of the ‘Basic Plan for** **Defense Informatization’** - National, defense guideline and analysis of environment element - Policy direction of defense informatization - Objective, focus of development, direction of development, mid-to-longterm roadmap of each area of Defense Information System - Direction of development for governance regarding implementation and management of the Basic Plan - Tasks to promote for advancement of Defense Information System - Tasks to promote for sophistication of defense information technology ----- drafting the Defense Mid-term Plan. As with the ‘Basic Plan for National Informatization,’ the ‘Basic Plan for Defense Informatization’ is published every five years. However, revisions are made annually reflecting any major changes to the policy and plan, and annual changes to the requirements. **| Developing a System for Defense Informatization | The MND** revised existing directives to establish operational procedure and standards required for implementing the ‘Act on Defense Informati zation,’ and consolidated them as the ‘Directive for Defense Informati zation Affairs’ in 2011. The MND has been promoting an experimental project on New Information Technology since 2007 to adopt excellent new civilian information technologies into the military in a timely manner, and in April 2012, it signed the ‘Memorandum of Agreement on Information Technology Fusion’ with the Ministry of Knowledge and Economy. In order to respond to the rapid changes in the information technology environment, and to guarantee expertise and efficiency in promoting informatization, the MND designates and operates dedicated organizations and expert technological support organizations[2] for each area of informati zation. In 2011, the MND designated organizations specializing in maintenance and repairs pertaining to seven defense information systems[3 ] that require military expertise such as logistics and supplies. In addition, it designated expert technological support organizations in the areas of defense interoperability and information protection in October 2010. **| Establishing a Sophisticated Defense Enterprise Architecture (EA)** **|** In order to prevent overlapping investments in informatization and guarantee interoperability between information systems, the MND has been promoting phased establishment of defense EA[4] since 2007. The plan to establish a defense EA is shown in Chart 6-15. **2. Specialized Organization and** **Expert Technological Support** **Organization** Auxiliary Organizations that are contracted by the MND, to carry out tasks themselves or to provide support to efficiently promote informatization. **3. Defense Information System** A structured system of equipment and software that are used to collect, process, store, search, transmit and receive defense information. **4. Defense Enterprise Architecture** A comprehensive blueprint that structurally lays out the various components of defense informatization such as tasks, system, and technology that are needed to improve systematic IT support across the military. ----- **Chart 6-15. Plan to Establish a Defense Enterprise Architecture** |Before 2008|2009|2010|2011|2012|2013|After 2014| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |||||||EA for Each Agency| |MND Headquarters EA|||Top le|vel Defense||EA for Each Function| |R Inte|esource Manag Battlefield M Integra grated EA|ement Integrated anagement ted EA Joint War|Arc EA NCO game EA|hitecture E-based EA||| **Optimization of** **Organization** **Optimization of** **Task** **Optimization of** **Informatization** The establishment of an architecture for the duties and tasks of the MND was complete in 2008, and in 2011, an integrated defense enterprise architecture was built to improve performance of battlefield and resource management information systems and secure interoperability of the two systems. Starting from 2011, the MND has been building an EA based on NCOE that will be the master blueprint for information communication networks and information protection while establishing an overarching defense architecture that visualizes the current and future of the entire national defense sector. In the future, the MND will strive to establish a sophisticated enterprise architecture for each function and organization by focusing on the utilization of the architecture such as complementing and developing the informatization master plan, planning for informatization requirements, and evaluating the results of informatization. **2. Enhancing the Defense Information System and Guaran-** **teeing Interoperability** **| Improving the Information Communication Service and** **Infrastructure | The MND is constructing a ubiquitous[5] information** **5. Ubiquitous** A newly coined term which has its roots in ‘ubique,’ which means ‘everywhere’ in Latin, it now stands to represent a communications environment where a user can freely connect to the Internet, regardless of the time, place, network or type of computer. ----- and technology environment that applies technologies such as virtual ization[6] to make defense information system functions user-oriented. Accordingly, the defense broadband convergence network was established in 2011 as a build-transfer-lease project. With the establishment of the defense broadband convergence network, a data flow capacity of 10 Gbps can be allowed for each echelon of units, thereby creating the foundation for creating an All-IP based integrated wired and wireless network.[7] The MND is also standardizing strategic and tactical networks to include terrestrial, aerial, and satellite communications network into an IP[8] system and developing an integrated wired and wireless network to improve its information and technology infrastructure. The composition of the defense information and communications network is shown in Chart 6-16. **Chart 6-16. Composition of Defense Information Communications Network** **Commercial Satellite** **Civilian Military Dual** **Military Satellite** **Satellite** **Use Satellite** **Communications** **System** **Airborne** **Stratosphere Relay** **Aerial Relay UAV** **Communications** **System** **All-IP** **Integrated** **Nework** **Link-K** **Tactical** **Communications** **System** **Link-K** **Link-K** **Maritime Operations Satellite** **Sensor** **Communications Network** **Submarine** **TICN** **Network** **Combat Wireless Network** **Network** **Microwave Network** **Fixed** **Communications** **System** **Optical Communications Network** The MND is creating a Defense Integrated Data Center to consolidate all computing centers that are dispersed and operated by each Service and at various levels of echelons to ensure the stable utilization of defense information system in any situation. **6. Virtualization** Technology of logically consolidating or partitioning physically different systems, such as hardware and software, for the efficient utilization of data resources. **7. All-IP Integrated Network** A network Internet protocol (IP) based network with a structure that incorporates the various different networks. In an All-IP network, existing networks such as landline phone network, international mobile communication network and wireless network are integrated into one single IP based network which is based on the internet telephone service in which all voice, data and other multimedia materials are processed through a packet. **8. Internet Protocol** International standard data communications protocol, a globally used standard for Internet use. ----- The Defense Integrated Data Center, which is expected to be operational by 2014, will provide tailored services by applying new information technologies such as virtualization and, services with enhanced stability through the strengthening of survivability of data resources at peace and wartime and information protection capabilities. In addition, high-performance / low-electricity-consumption servers will be installed to maximize energy efficiency, and low-carbon green IT[9] will be applied to energy systems in areas such as electricity and heat management. Recognizing the importance of a wireless communications-based infrastructure best suited for the network-centric operational environment, the MND is developing an operational system for stably securing and systematically managing military exclusive frequencies. In this regard, it is actively participating in the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC)[10] to respond to the international community’s frequency distri bution policy and to reinforce mutual coordination. **| Reinforcing the Interoperability of Defense Information Systems |** Interoperability refers to the capability to smoothly share information in accordance with horizontal and vertical relationships among information systems scattered across the military. Interoperability is what allows information gathered from low-altitude detection radar and UAVs to be processed through the battlefield command system and then distributed to guided missiles and combat aircraft. The MND possesses the Defense Information Technical Standard (DITA),[11] which is a mandatory standard that is required to ensure interoperability. DITA is a standard that is mainly applied to communi cations method, data structure, common software functions, and code encryption and decryption, and when establishing a defense information system on products that only comply with this standard may be procured or developed. Because most weapon systems now carry information and communi cations capabilities and are connected to a network, a need to conduct increased professional technical support and a stricter test evaluation regarding interoperability has risen. The Joint Interoperability Technology Center (JITC), which was established in 2006, is faithfully carrying out this mission. **9. Green IT** A way of utilizing information not only in a sustainable manner but going a step further to use it to preserve the environment. **10. World Radiocommunication** **Conference [(]WRC[)]** WRC is a subsidiary organization of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), which is held every 4 to 5 years to deliberate and decide on international wavelength policies. The Conference distributes the wavelength resources globally, and enacts and revises the Radio Regulations **11. Defense Information Technical** **standard [(]DITA[)]** An information technology standard that is used to support the development of Defense Weapons System and Force Support System and also secure compatibility and interoperability between the two systems. ----- The JITC developed and distributed standardized software for battlefield command system terminals in 2011, thereby creating the foundation in which all the forces can consistently share information. In addition, it conducted interoperability test assessments for the Cheongung surface-to air guided missile system in 2012 to accurately verify whether the system can conduct joint operations in real combat situations. **3. Strengthening the Capability to Respond to Cyber** **Threats** **| Establishing a Proactive Cyber Warfare Response System |** Cyber threats are on the rise as seen through the distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack on 7 July 2009, the Stuxnet attack[12] in 2010, and the hacking of Nonghyup (NH Bank) electronic network and personal information leak in 2011. Such incidents show that cyber threats go beyond cyberspace and pose a clear threat to the society and nation. As a result, the MND recognizes cyberspace as an area analogous to territory, territorial waters, and airspace that the nation must protect, and is pursuing the revision of relevant rules and regulations, and the establishment of systems and doctrines to be able to carry out cyber warfare at the national level. In 2010, the MND established the Cyber Command and re-defined the information protection missions of agencies within the military as well as creating and operating a military cyber warfare response center for all forces. Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERT)[13] have been established in all units above corps level to monitor the defense information system 24 hours a day and to enable prompt responses. In addition, the MND Information Protection Team was expanded and reorganized as the Cyber Defense Policy Team in 2012 to actively respond to increasing cyber threats and reinforce policy functions for cyber warfare. Also, the MND is making efforts to stably secure cyber expert personnel by setting up cyber defense departments in civilian universities and recruiting service members with specialty in information portection in coordination with the Ministry of Knowledge and Economy. Guided Missile System Cheongung **12. Stuxnet Attack** A type of attack which is conducted against a closed network system such as nuclear power plant, steel mills, and power grid to shut down its operation by infecting the network with malignant codes. **13. Computer Emergency Response** **Team [(]CERT[)]** An organization, equipped with integrated control system for information security, that prevents or promptly responds to computer or network based attacks. Cyber Defense Department education ----- **| Enhancing the Information Protection System and Acquiring** **Cyber Response Technologies | The MND is reinforcing its** information protection system to secure the execution of peacetime and wartime operations from various cyber threats such as hacking and computer viruses. In this regard, information protection systems including consolidated security-monitoring systems and anti-virus immunization systems have been installed across the military to provide layered security for data resources such as the network, personal computers and systems. In addition, with hacking skills continuing to advance, the DDoS Response System was expanded in major information systems in 2010, and in 2012, control systems were established in major servers and networks to prepare for to DDoS attacks and insider security threats. Additionally, with the effectuation of the ‘Personal Data Protection Act’ in September 2011, a personal information leakage diagnosis system and a personal information code encryption system were introduced to reinforce personal information protection. Furthermore, in 2011, the MND designated relevant research institutes as specializing in information protection technological support and is utilizing them to strengthen the various technological support functions by developing cyber response technologies tailored to national defense, and establishing plans to protect the new technologies adopted by the military. **| Domestic and International Cooperation for a Timely Response to** **Cyber Threats | In order to promptly respond to cyber threats, the** MND maintains a civilian-government-military coordination system and hosts the annual Defense Information Protection Seminar to share knowledge in cyber attacks and defense expertise. International cooperation and exchange of information are becoming increasingly important to respond to transnational cyber threats. The MND concluded the ‘Memorandum of Understanding on Information Assurance and Computer Network Defense’ with the U.S. Department of Defense in April 2009, to enhance cooperation between the ROK and the U.S. in responding against cyber threats and by adopting the ‘Terms of Reference of the ROK-U.S. Information Assurance Working Group,’ which facilitates the goal of enhanced information sharing in the realm of information ----- Assurance and Computer Network Defense, has been taking part in the ROK-U.S. Information Assurance Working Group Meeting since 2010. The MND also participates in the International Cyber Defense Workshop hosted by the U.S. Department of Defense twice a year since 2009, to exchange information on cyber warfare and cooperate on information protection technologies. Cooperating with allies and friendly nations to respond to globally surging cyber threats is crucial. In this regard, the MND will continue to identify and develop areas of cooperation such as personnel exchange and technology sharing with allies and partner nations. ----- |1|2| |---|---| |4|3| ||| ----- ##### Chapter 7 **Building a Combat** **Mission Focused** **Advanced Military** Section 1 Reinforcing Mental Strength Education for Service Members and Patriotism Promoting Activities for Citizens Section 2 Improving the Education System to Cultivate Competent Cadres Section 3 Realistic Training and Education to Build a Combat-Oriented Military Section 4 Developing the Operations and Management System of the Defense Workforce 178 182 188 200 **1 Army commando regiment carrying out river** infiltration exercise **2 Marine Corps Baekryeongdo (island) defense** exercise **3 Maritime maneuver exercise near Dokdo** (island) **4 ROK-U.S. combined exercise with fully armed** wartime munitions (Practice Generation) ----- **Reinforcing Mental Strength** **Education for Service Members** **and Patriotism Promoting** **Activities for Citizens** Mental Strength education is a key imperative that needs to be strengthened in order to build an elite military capable of defeating the enemy. The ROK military is continuously strengthening its education program to nurture a deep sense of patriotism and a clear perspective on security among the service members and to cultivate a military spirit of decisive victory. Moreover, in order to enhance the effects of education, the ROK military is developing and providing various contents that the service members are familiar with, and providing support for various activities such as security site visits and hands-on military camp experiences that will promote patriotism for the younger generation. **1. Establishing a steadfast perspective on security and en-** **hancing a willingness to fight** After North Korea’s attack against the ROK Ship Cheonan and the shelling of Yeonpyeongdo (island), a pressing requirement has emerged to strengthen mental strength education in order to inculcate a clear awareness of the true nature of North Korea and to ‘build a combat oriented military that is never hesitant to engage in battle.’ Accordingly, the ROK military is exerting its utmost efforts to establish a steadfast perspective of the security situation and the enemy, and to enhance a willingness to fight. Mental strength education for new recruits is concentrated in the first three weeks of basic training to help them transform into military soldiers as early as possible. In particular, the entire basic training period is utilized for mental strength education in order to cultivate a true military mind-set **Section** # 1 ----- and fighting spirit. For the education at the unit level, rather than carrying out theory-based education in classrooms, more on-site education activities such as visits to battle sites are being conducted. Also, education provided by retired comrades based on their combat experience as well as reciting of combat awareness mottos are frequently taking place. In addition, lectures by North Korean defectors and war veterans are carried out on a regular basis. Meanwhile, education for instructors at educational institutions and basic training centers as well as workshops for troop information and education (TI&E) officers from all Services and ROTC instructors are carried out in a substantive manner for developing expertise. **2. Strengthening the Education to Establish National Identity** The MND is strengthening its education program to establish a national identity so that the service members can gain a better understanding of the contributions and dedications made by the generations before them in building the proud ROK of today, and attain a proper view of the ROK’s modern history. This education program also aims to inspire the service members to be proud of being an ROK citizen. Also, efforts to instill a proper awareness of history are being exerted by carrying out education with modern history included in the curriculum for professional development training and refresher training courses and by producing and distributing educational videos on history. Accordingly, by publishing and distributing various reference booklets such as ‘View of _ROK Modern History through Statistical Indices,’ the educational effect is_ being significantly increased. In addition, education to clearly elucidate the true nature of those regime threatening factions that do not recognize the legitimacy of the ROK and blindly espouse the North Korean regime is also being carried out. Education for TI&E Officers of All Services (War Memorial, September 2011) Service Member Morale Education Reference Booklets ----- **3. Improving the Service Member Morale Education Sup-** **port System** The MND is continuing to develop a weekly mental strength education system, contents, and education techniques in order to yield better performance results from the education. The weekly education session was restored to Wednesdays as of 1 September 2011. Previously, the Army carried out its weekly morale education sessions on Mondays and the Navy and Air Force on Wednesdays. However, setting the time and date of weekly morale education sessions to take place on Wednesday mornings has not only produced good morale education results but also contributed to creating a sense of unity among the Services. The Korea Defense Daily’s ‘Basic TI&E’ education material, which is the main teaching material for weekly morale education, is published in conjunction with the ‘TI&E Class’ broadcasted on the Korea Forces Network (KFN) in order to enhance the understanding of educational contents. Also, the MND is making morale education sessions interesting for service members by actively utilizing professional lecturers in KFN programs such as the ‘TI&E Class’ and ‘Prominent Lecturer’s Special Lecture.’ In particular, diverse contents are being developed and used such as the ‘Prominent Lecturer’s Special Lecture on the Road’ and ‘Golden Bell Challenge’ to accommodate the tastes of the “video generation.” Meanwhile, teaching materials are now being prepared using storytelling methods and advertising techniques considering the viewpoint of the young generation, which are receiving great responses from the service members. In June and November 2011, the ‘Discussion Forum on the Development of Morale Education in Educational Institutions’ and the ‘Discussion Forum on Morale Education Innovation’ were held respec tively, where experts from various fields had in-depth and productive discussions on ways to develop mental strength education. Discussion Forum on Innovating Morale Education (War Memorial, November 2011) ----- **4. Supporting Activities of Experiencing Patriotism** At a point in time when the Korean War caused by North Korea’s invasion of South Korea is being forgotten and North Korea’s provocation against the ROK abides, inculcating the teenagers with a spirit of patriotism has become a top priority task. Therefore, in order to establish an all-out security posture where the people become one, the ROK military is actively supporting hands-on activities for the youth through patriotism experiencing education, security site visits, and hands-on military life experience activities. In March 2011, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and the Korean Federation of Teachers’ Associations, which led to the opening of many military unit facilities. In particular, improvements have been made to the support systems by receiving requests for hands-on security experience activities through the internet websites of the MND and each Service. As a result, the number of people participating in the patriotism education program, security site visits, and hands-on military camp experience activities increased significantly compared to the numbers prior to 2010, and it is evaluated that these efforts and results contributed to increasing the security awareness of the younger generation.[1] In 2012, active cooperation with the relevant government offices is being pursued along with efforts to develop relationships among military units in each echelon, local governments, and education support agencies in order to further attain positive results. Meanwhile, in order to instill a sense of pride and identity of being an ROK citizen into multi-cultural families and North Korean defectors, a variety of efforts are being put forth such as providing support for learning activities. College students observing a moment of silence in commemoration of the late 46 sailors of the ROK Ship Cheonan (Navy 2[nd] Fleet, May 2012) **1. Survey on teenager security** **awareness** According to a survey on 1,000 teenagers, conducted by Research and Research and sponsored by the Ministry of Public Administration and Security, the number of teenagers who received security education in 2011 increased by 35 percent from 2010, and 73 percent of those who received security education replied that “hands-on military unit security experiences were very helpful.” (June 2011) ----- **Improving the Education** **System to Cultivate** **Competent Cadres** In order to cultivate competent cadres, improvements have been made to the school curriculum, teaching methods, and development and refresher course education system. Also, the education system is being improved and further developed through the establishment of the Joint Forces Military University (JFMU) and the implementation of integrated education for first year cadets of the Army, Navy, and Air Force academies. **1. Improvements to the Curriculum and Teaching Method** **| Resetting school education objectives | In order to enable cadres** to execute combat missions immediately after completing school education, the required capabilities for each position of service that need to be covered through development and refresher training have been clearly defined in a detailed manner. The education objectives for development training have been set on cultivating students to become cadres with basic combat skills, combat command capabilities, and training and education instruction capabilities required of junior cadres. For refresher training, the education objectives have been set on cultivating the capability to perform one’s duties, understanding the basic principles of combat, and training students to become tactical commanders and staff members that possess the capability to apply what they have learned in real battle. By setting these objectives, it is now possible to cultivate competent cadres that possess a combat oriented mind-set and combat skills. **Section** # 2 ----- **| Curriculum based on core combat skills | Considering the limited** time for school education, improvements have been made so that education on core combat skills required for combat mission execution is the focus of school education out of the many other subjects. For this initiative, the MND boldly reduced the number of courses that it controls from twenty-two to two courses (TI&E and military security). In other words, only those subjects required for combat mission execution will be taught at schools while subjects for peacetime mission execution unrelated to combat mission execution have been transferred to unit education. Also, subjects that are inappropriate to be taught in schools have been removed from the MND controlled subject list. Additionally, the curriculum has been improved to an integrated curriculum focused on tactics by minimizing the number of education subjects for each course and the number of required tasks for each subject. **| Improvements in teaching methods | By improving the teaching** method from a lecture centered education led by the instructor to a ‘learning & teaching’ education led by students, students will be able to develop training instruction capabilities through mutual mission exchanges with each other. Also, the ROK military is now moving away from the standardized training range and is carrying out actual combat-like training where tactical measures are taken in diverse situations in random terrain. Additionally, teaching methods have been improved in the direction of carrying out tactical situation-oriented discussions focused on practice and application rather than theory. **2. Improvements in the Development and Refresher Train-** **ing System** **| Implementation of the overall evaluation system for officer and** **non-commissioned officer candidates | The overall evaluation** system for officer and non-commissioned officer (NCO) candidates, applied to all officer and NCO candidates in candidate training courses in each Service, is a system to commission only those who pass certain qualification criteria during overall evaluations prior to being commis overall evaluation system for officer and non-commissioned officer (NCO) candidates (Squad Combat) ----- sioned. Evaluation is focused on essential combat skills, combat command ability, and training and education instruction capability that can be utilized on the battlefield, and the evaluation criteria have been selected to incorporate the characteristics of each Service. In addition, in order to increase the expertise and transparency of evaluations, an expert evaluation group has been formed and is operating. The results of a trial run in 2011 of this system showed that the basic combat skills and training and education instruction capability of all cadre candidates increased dramatically. Accordingly, the overall evaluation system for officers and non-commissioned candidates is being implemented in full scale as of March 2012. This system is expected to contribute immensely in cultivating competent junior cadres who make up the foundation of a combat-oriented military. **| Utilization of instructors in charge of tactics | The system of** instructors in charge of tactics is a system where instructors in charge who have expertise in military tactics and have outstanding character istics and talents as a military personnel wholeheartedly pass down their tactical knowhow in an apprenticeship-like manner. Instructors in charge of tactics are responsible for teaching tactics but utilize a teaching method where they only teach the basic combat principle and focus more on stimulating discussions by presenting a realistic combat situation based on war history which allows students to fully comprehend the tactical concepts that they learned. The system of instructors in charge of tactics is being implemented at the Army College and in advanced officer courses at nine military branch schools since 2012 after trial operations in 2011, and is expected to contribute significantly to inculcating competent cadres with the tactical knowledge and character required of a high-ranking officer. **| Strengthening of NCO Training and Education | With regard to the** ROK military NCO education, in the past, there were limitations in training NCOs to become proficient with combat skills in a systematic manner due to the short education period compared to that of advanced foreign militaries. Lecture by an instructor in charge of tactics ----- As such, the NCO education system has been improved so that NCOs can better understand and become proficient with small unit tactics in a systematic manner by extending the Army NCO education period from 30 weeks to 37 weeks. The NCO development training course was extended from 10 weeks to 12 weeks to enable NCO candidates to fully attain individual and squad combat skills, and the NCO basic course was extended from 15 weeks to 20 weeks to enable NCOs to fully attain individual and squad combat skills and build instruction capabilities for training and education. Also, by receiving collective training and education at the deployed unit, which was extended from one week to three weeks, NCOs are able to adapt to their unit at an early stage and become mission capable as soon as they are deployed to the field. The Army NCO education period improvement status is shown in Chart 7-1. **Chart 7-1. Army NCO education period improvement status** **Army basic** **NCO Academy** **NCO Academy** **On-the-job training** **Past** **training camp** **development training** **basic course** **(1 week)** **(5 weeks)** **course [(]10 weeks[)]** **(15 weeks)** **Army basic** **NCO Academy development** **On-the-job training** **NCO Academy** **Improved** **training camp** **training course [(]12 weeks,** **(3 weeks, extended** **basic course [(]20 weeks,** **(5 weeks)** **extended 2 weeks[)]** **2 weeks[)]** **extended 5 weeks[)]** **3. Improvements in the Education System to Strengthen** **Jointness** **| Establishment of the Joint Forces Military University | The Joint** Forces Military University (JFMU), which is in charge of refresher course education for field grade officers, was established on 1 December 2011 to cultivate a large number of joint experts in the perspective of strengthening jointness by integrating the Army, Navy and Air Force Colleges. Expected results with the establishment of the JFMU are as follows. First, professional education on jointness can be carried out effectively and JFMU Activation Ceremony (1 December 2011) ----- the cultivation of joint expert personnel can be expanded. As such, the number of students has been increased from 700 to 2,000 a year, and the joint education period of the joint basic course for major level officers has been extended from 8 weeks to 15 weeks. Second, with the role of developing joint concepts and doctrines transferred to the JFMU from the ROK JCS, a joint combat development system synchronized with research and education has now been established. Third, an optimal education system for ensuring jointness has been created by appointing Army, Navy, and Air Force personnel to key positions, including the president of JFMU based on a rotational basis and composing a joint staff and instructors with personnel from each Service in a balanced manner. Fourth, a collateral effect of enhancing the efficiency of national defense management was attained as the organization became streamlined with the merger and abolition of similar functions. In the future, the JFMU will become a premier military educational institution that strengthens the jointness of ROK military and spearheads innovation in joint education. **Chart 7-2. Joint Forces Military University Organizational Chart** **JFMU** **Joint** |Col1|Col2|Col3|Col4|Col5|Col6| |---|---|---|---|---|---| ||||||| **Education** **Department** **Joint Combat** **Development** **Department** **Defense** **Language** **Institute** **Army** **College** **Navy** **College** **Air Force** **College** **| Integrated education for first year cadets of the Army, Navy, and** **Air Force academies | As of April 2012, integrated education is being** carried out for first year cadets of the Army, Navy, and Air Force academies. Considering the total number of the first year cadets in each Service academy, cadets are mixed into three groups, and each group receives integrated education from the Army, Navy, and Air Force academies in rotation. The two semester education cycle was divided into four cycles. During the first cycle, cadets receive education on their respective Services from their Academy, and during the remaining three cycles, they receive eight Integrated education for first year cadets of each Service academies ----- weeks of integrated education at each Service Academy. Integrated education at each Service Academy will be more than just goodwill exchanges among the Academies and is expected to contribute in strengthening the foundation for jointness and sharing the unique culture of each Academy. ----- **Realistic Training and** **Education to Build a Combat-** **Oriented Military** The objective of national defense training and education is to ‘build a combat-oriented military that can fight and win against the enemy.’ In order to build a combat-oriented military, the ROK military is strengthening the recruit training and education system to be able to immediately generate combat power. Also, at the field units, unit training focused on tactical training is being strengthened by carrying out training such as realistic force-onforce training employing the Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System (MILES), which clearly determines the winner and the loser. **1. Cultivating Strong Warriors Capable of Immediately** **Generating Combat Power** **| Strengthening the Recruit Training and Education System | The** Army division’s basic training period has been extended from five weeks to eight weeks starting from 2011 in order to train strong warriors that are capable of immediately generating combat power at their respective field units after completing basic camp. Additionally, the Army’s recruit training and education system has been improved by raising the standards for qualifying in key subjects. The strengthened recruit education program consists of five weeks of basic education and three weeks of intensive education. Acquiring basic physical strength and combat skills required for combat is the focus of the basic education. The intensive education portion additionally aims to have recruits gain the tenacious physical strength required for combat sustainment and key combat skills. According to an evaluation on the results of the strengthened recruit training and education system,[1] the level of combat mission proficiency of **Section** # 3 **1. Evaluation results on the** **strengthened recruit training and** **education system** According to the results of a survey conducted against the field unit cadres on the mission execution satisfaction level of new service members coming out of basic training, 44 percent of the respondents replied positively while 16 percent negatively, which shows that overall satisfaction level increased due to the strengthened recruit training and education system. Also, the survey showed that the evaluation points for combat power of key subjects rose by 18 percent. (2011 ‘Evaluation of the Result on Strengthening Recruit Education’ by KIDA). ----- recruits and the recruits’ combat power level on the key subjects increased remarkably. Additionally, it is evaluated that the new system assisted the recruits in adapting to military life at an early stage. **| Implementation of Combat Ability Certification Program | The** ROK military has been implementing a combat ability certification program since 2011. The combat ability certification program is classified into a certification program carried out by educational establishments and a certification program carried out by field units. Combat ability certification programs by educational establishments cover nine areas, essential for combat mission execution, including guerrilla training, mines, explosions, lifesaving, and martial arts. By awarding certifications to cadres who meet the required standards, the ROK military has institutionalized the method in enhancing the expertise and duty execution capabilities of the service members. The combat ability certification program by field units consists of the ‘junior grade cadre certification program’ for junior grade cadres and the ‘superior warrior selection system’ for all service members. Key courses related to combat missions and duty execution are evaluated through the junior grade cadre certification program and certifications are awarded to those who pass the program. The superior warrior selection system awards certifications to service members through evaluations on marksmanship, physical capacity, morale strength, and combat skills. **2. Unit Training Focused on Tactical Training** **| Unit Activities Cultivating a Fearless Mentality | All unit activities** of field units, which are focused on cultivating a fearless mentality, are centered on enhancing the combat power of service members through various competitions and tournaments. Small-unit tactical competitions and gunnery competitions enable service members to learn and enhance with zest the key skills required to execute combat missions. Individuals and units with outstanding performance records are given commendations and incentives for motivation purposes. Mock cavalry battles provide the opportunity to physically and morally absorb the fundamentals of combat. ----- In addition to these competitions, military operational specialty (MOS) training, physical training, and combat skill enhancement results are achieved in a natural manner through physical capacity tournaments, the best-of-best tournaments,[2] and sports tournaments. Furthermore, hand-to hand combat inside trenches and mock cavalry battles provide opportu nities for service members to physically and morally absorb the fundamentals of combat. **| Realistic ‘Win or Lose’ Unit Training | The Army has achieved many** good results by utilizing the platoon-level Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System (MILES). Tactical training activities using MILES equipment greatly contribute to achieving realistic training objectives because MILES clearly determines the winner and the loser. Training effects will be further enhanced once the MILES equipment for company level units is introduced. **3. Establishing an Environment to Fully Concentrate on** **Military Training and Education** **| Resolutely Eliminating Administrative Elements | In order to carry** out training and education that lead to good results, unnecessary administrative duties were resolutely reduced and an environment was established to fully concentrate on military training and education. By reducing the administrative duties of units smaller than battalion level units by 50 percent and reducing the number of unnecessary inspections, audits, and unit visits, field units are now able to concentrate on enhancing their combat power through training and education. **| Securing Realistic Training Ranges | Currently, the ROK military** is lacking in realistic training ranges that are scientific and conform with the future operation environment. Also, the fact that small training ranges are scattered throughout the ROK in an unorganized manner is not only having a negative impact on efficiency but also is becoming the source of increasing civil appeals by residents living in rapidly urbanizing towns near training ranges. **2. Best-of-Best Tournament** This tournament is carried out by field units to select the best service member in the MOS fields, physical capacity, and combat skills. For example, combat skills are enhanced by selecting the best service member at 5km run, push-ups, and driving. Realistic combat-like force on force platoon training exercise using MILES equipment ----- In order to improve and resolve these problems, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) has prepared and is implementing a plan to secure realistic training ranges. In connection with the plan to consolidate and realign units, training ranges in the frontline areas are planned to be consolidated according to the axis in which the sites are located and the training ranges in the rear areas will be integrated according to adminis trative areas. By 2030, the MND is planning to build scientific training ranges that are integrated by area for corps-level units, division-level units, and different functions. Additionally, the MND will acquire compre hensive training ranges at locations where units larger than battalion-level units are stationed. Through these initiatives, it will be possible to guarantee realistic military training and education, increase the efficiency in utilizing national land, and contribute to improving the people’s living environment. **4. Exercises and Training Simulating Actual Combat** The ROK military is pushing forward with realistic exercises[3] and training[4] in order to generate its maximum combat power during contin gencies. In particular, the ROK military is bolstering ROK-U.S. combined exercises and training led by the ROK in preparation of wartime OPCON transition. **| Combined/Joint Exercise and Training |** The Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG) Exercise is an ROK-U.S. theater level Command Post Exercise (CPX) carried out annually in the second half of the year and consists of the government and the military. The government portion of the exercise commenced as a standalone exercise after the Blue House Raid attempt on 21 January 1968 and was later integrated with the military portion of the exercise after North Korea’s Axe Murder Incident on 18 August 1976 in order to establish an all-out national defense posture. The military exercise portion commenced in 1954 under the name ‘Focus Lens’ led by the Commander of the United Nations Command (UNC). The name was changed to Ulchi Focus Lens (UFL) Exercise in 1976 when it was integrated with the government **3. Exercise** Training carried out between higher- and lower-echelon units or by a single unit to train commanders and their staff to become proficient in crisis management or execution of wartime operational plans by simulating actual combat environment. **4. Training** This is an organizational proficiency process to enable individuals and units to master the technical knowledge and actions required to effectively execute their assigned missions. - Combined training: training carried out by the militaries of two or more nations to execute a single mission through mutual cooperation for the achievement of their joint objectives. - Joint training: training carried out under the command and control of a single commander or through mutual coordination in order to execute integrated military activities of two or more Services from the Army, Navy and Air Force. ----- exercise. The exercise name was changed to UFG in 2008 and focused on carrying out combined exercises to train and become proficient with a new combined defense system in preparation for wartime OPCON transition. However, with the attack against the ROK Ship Cheonan in 2010, the focus of UFG has been changed to prepare against North Korea’s existing threats under the current combined defense system. Starting from 2013, a combined exercise to prepare for the new combined defense system will resume. Government agencies above city, county and district levels along with businesses designated for mobilization participate in the government exercise, and army units above corps-level units, naval units above fleet command units, air force units above wing-level units, Marine Corps HQs and Northwest Islands Defense Command, USFK, and U.S. augmentation units during wartime participate in the military exercise. _The Key Resolve/Foal Eagle (KR/FE) Exercise is an annual ROK-U.S._ theater-level CPX[5] and FTX carried out during the first half of the year. In the beginning, the RSOI and Foal Eagle exercises were carried out separately. However, the two exercises were integrated in 2002 in order to enhance the efficiency of the exercises. Staring from 2008, the exercise name was changed to the current KR/FE exercise in preparation for wartime OPCON transition and is being carried out with the focus on becoming proficient with operation execution procedures by reviewing and inspecting the current combined defense system. In particular, with the attack against the ROK Ship Cheonan and the shelling of Yeonpyeongdo (island) in 2010, realistic exercises are being carried out by simulating the current North Korean threat and diverse crisis situations that could potentially occur in the future. On the ROK side, army units above corps-level units, naval units above fleet command units, air force units above wing-level units, and the Marine Corps HQs and Northwest Islands Defense Command participate in the Key Resolve exercise. On the U.S. side, the Combined Forces Command, USFK, units under Pacific Command, Strategic Command, Transportation Command, and the wartime augmentation forces participate. 2011 UFG Exercise **5. Command Post Exercise [(]CPX[)]** Mission execution exercise for commanders and staff members at each echelon where service members train and become proficient with command post displacement and operations, commander and staff activity procedures, and the application of operation plans and SOPs under diverse situations while maintaining communications. **FTX Field Training Exercise** **RSOI Reception, Staging, Onward** Movement, Integration ----- The Foal Eagle exercise is a field maneuver training to enhance the capability of ROK-U.S. combined and joint operations, combined special operations and rear area defense operations. This exercise started in 1961 as the first irregular warfare training carried out independently by the ROK. In 1970, rear area operations were included and in 1975, the name of the exercise was changed to the current Foal Eagle exercise and was expanded to include ROK-U.S. combined irregular warfare training. From 1982, it was expanded to a two-way training between special operation units and rear area units applying the concept of regular warfare. Starting from 2002 it was integrated with the RSOI exercise, after which it was integrated again with the KR exercise in 2008 to strengthen combined and joint maneuver training. **| Joint Exercise and Training |** The Taegeuk Exercise is a theater-level CPX carried out annually under the lead of the ROK JCS to enhance the ROK military’s peacetime and wartime operation capabilities and to identify emerging requirements for joint forces and unit structures. Upon taking over the peacetime OPCON in 1994, the ROK JCS commenced this CPX in 1995 to establish an independent operation execution capability. By expanding the partici pation to operations commands under the ROK JCS in 1999, this exercise has developed into realistic theater-level joint CPX led by the ROK JCS. The name ‘Taegeuk Exercise’ has been used since 2004, and starting from 2005, this exercise is being carried out in a realistic combat-like manner using a theater-level joint operation simulation model (Taegeuk JOS model) developed by the ROK JCS. The focus of the exercise from 2008 to 2011 has been on establishing an operation execution system and developing the required capabilities to prepare for wartime OPCON transition. Since 2011, the exercise focus has been on becoming proficient with and refining operational command procedures in preparation for the higher command structure reform. The Hoguk Exercise is an annual theater and operations command level maneuver training to enhance the operation execution capabilities of large units led by the ROK JCS. In 1988, the Army’s Sangmu Training, the Navy’s Tonghae Exercise, and the Air Force’s Pilseung Training, which **JOS Joint Operation Simulation** Joint amphibious training during the 2011 Hoguk Exercise ----- were carried out independently by each Service, were integrated and expanded into one unified exercise. By replacing the Team Spirit Exercise in 1996, the Hoguk Exercise was changed to also include army corps-level real troop maneuver training. Considering the changes in the operational environment, training conditions, and unit structure, this exercise was upgraded to a theater-level large unit maneuver exercise by integrating the corps level maneuver training and the corps operations plan execution training in 2008. In addition, through the Hoguk Exercise, the ROK military is heightening its joint operation execution capability by enhancing the effects of synchronization, unity, and interoperability. With heightened military tension caused by the attack against the ROK Ship Cheonan and the artillery firing at Yeonpyeongdo (island) in 2010, the Hoguk Exercise corps level maneuver training that was carried out in the Yeoju and Icheon area was adjusted in 2011 to a mechanized infantry division force-on-force training in the Yeoju area and a corps level operations plan execution training in their respective areas of responsi bility in consideration of maximizing the realistic combat-like training results, reducing force gaps in operation plan areas, and preparing for existing threats. The Hwarang Exercise is a comprehensive rear area exercise led by the integrated defense headquarters in which all national defense elements including civilian, government, military, and police elements participate. This exercise, which has been expanded to all Services, was originally carried out as a comprehensive metropolitan area counter-infiltration exercise controlled by the Third ROK Army from 1977 to 1981. The focus of the Hwarang Exercise is for the rear area units to become proficient with peace and wartime operations plan execution procedures; establish an integrated civilian, government, military, police defense posture; and increase the security awareness of the local residents. **| Exercises carried out by each Service | The Army is strengthening** its realistic unit training focused on combat missions unique to each echelon in order to build a combat-oriented military. Combined arms training is focused on organizing the combat elements for each specialty and function and mutually reinforcing their vulnera A mechanized infantry division’s river crossing operation during the 2011 _Hoguk Exercise_ ----- bilities in order to maximize the integrated combat capabilities of regiment-level units. The Army’s ROK-U.S. combined exercises are focused on biological, chemical and radiological operations, counter-fire operations, air assault operations, and anti-terrorism operations. In particular, by establishing a consultative body between the Army and the Eight U.S. Army, ROK-U.S. combined exercises are being expanded to diverse areas including small-unit combined training, air ground joint training, and technology driven combat training. Also, the Army is utilizing technology-driven combat training, the Battle Command Training Program (BCTP), and simulator-based training programs to train service members in an actual combat-like setting and have them experience the aspects of real combat. The KCTC training program is a force on force training program that utilizes superior opposing forces and advanced technology such as MILES equipment, data communication, and satellites, and is carried out in an environment that virtually simulates real battlefield. Currently, battalion level training is possible. However, the KCTC will be expanded to a brigade-level facility and mechanized unit training will also be carried out. A KCTC training conceptual diagram Chart 7-3 is as follows: **Chart 7-3. KCTC training conceptual diagram** GPS satellite ROK-U.S. combined technology-driven combat training **KCTC Korea Combat Training Center** Recording vehicle Camcorder Camcorder Chemically Indirect Indirect fire contaminated area fire Recording vehicle Supply Training unit Opposing Evacuation Mine field forces Optical cable Relay tower EXCON Supply ----- **BCTP Battle Command Training Program** **6. Changjo 21 Model** Battle command training model for corps and standing divisions **7. Jeontu 21 Model** Battle command training model for regiments and battalions **8. Hwarang 21 Model** Battle command training model for homeland reserve divisions Maritime interdiction training The BCTP is a training program to develop the battle command capabilities of commanders and staff members utilizing computer simulations. Applying the ‘Changjo 21 Model,’[6] the ‘Jeontu 21 Model,’[7] and the ‘Hwarang 21 Model’[8] which were indigenously developed starting from 1999, service members are becoming proficient with tactical planning procedures and integrated combat power operation capabilities of corps to battalion echelons in situations similar to actual battle. In particular, for corps and division exercises, professional control officers and opposing force teams operate and the battle command group supervises the after-action review. In the future, improvements will be made to carry out an even more realistic and substantive training by linking the computer simulation-based training with actual maneuver units. Simulation equipment training, which is a virtual battlefield environment training for firing, operating, gunnery and other training purposes, is carried out at educational establishments during development training. In the future, individual training and training for various battlefield functions will be improved by establishing simulation training centers at corps and division units. The Navy is strengthening actual combat-like maritime exercises that befit the battlefield environment of the waters in the East, West and Southern Seas. Combined arms and joint exercises are carried out as component training and maritime training where joint forces, including, ground, naval, and air forces, participate to generate integrated combat power. Component exercises are fundamentally carried out according to the characteristics of various combat environment such as anti-surface, anti-submarine, anti-air, amphibious, mine, and submarine operations. Maritime exercises include maneuver training where fleet and surface battle groups and battle squadrons participate and specialized training such as Northwest Islands defense training, NLL local provocation joint response training, and maritime interdiction training. In these exercises and training, multidimensional capabilities such as the state-of-the-art surface combatants, submarines, amphibious ships, Coast Guard vessels, maritime patrol aircraft, and maritime operation helicopters participate. ----- Combined exercises are classified into ROK-U.S. combined exercises and multilateral combined exercises for enhancing humanitarian support and military cooperation. The ROK and U.S. militaries are carrying out a variety of combined exercises including maritime anti-special warfare unit training, anti-submarine marine surveillance training, anti-submarine operations training, amphibious operations training, mine operations training, special warfare operations training, and submarine operations training. Cobra Gold exercise, Western Pacific Mine Counter Measure Exercise (WPMCMEX), and the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise are multilateral combined exercises in which the ROK military participate. Meanwhile, the ROK military is carrying out search and rescue exercises (SAREX) with neighboring countries such as Japan, China, and Russia. Cruise training for naval academy midshipmen is carried out for 90 to 120 days. The Navy divides the world into four area-based navigation routes and one navigation route is taken for the cruise training every year. In 2011, a total of ten nations in the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea area were included and in 2012, ten Pacific area nations were included in the cruise training. Through the cruise training, various objectives are pursued such as developing the midshipmen’s duty execution capabilities and a global mindset; thus, enhancing the national status, and strengthening military cooperation with the nations visited by the midshipmen. The Air Force is strengthening realistic combat-like training activities centered on combat missions in order to maintain the best all-directional readiness posture that is required to immediately respond to any situation and threat. Major training activities include defensive counter-air training, offensive counter-air training, air interdiction training, and close air support training. Defensive counter-air training is focused on interdicting enemy infiltration forces that are attempting to intrude the ROK air space, and available air defense assets are simultaneously operated during this training in order to detect, identify, intercept, and destroy virtual enemy aircraft as far away as possible. Offensive counter-air training focuses on operating air power in enemy territory in an offensive manner in order to attain air superiority. The ROK-U.S. combined anti-submarine training ROK-Japan search-and-rescue training ----- operational effect is enhanced during this training by jointly operating deep strike assets such as ground-to-ground missiles and special warfare units. Air interdiction training focuses on disrupting, delaying, or destroying enemy support forces that have been reinforced to the frontline area and are posing a threat against friendly ground and naval forces. Air interdiction operations can neutralize enemy forces or delay their operational tempo by limiting the reinforcement, resupply, or maneuvering of the enemy’s deep area forces. Close air support training focuses on directly supporting ground and naval forces and includes attack training using night vision goggles (NVG), live bombing training, and live fire of precision guided weapons. In particular, the Max Thunder exercise, a large scale combined exercise, is staged to enhance ROK-U.S. combined operation execution capabilities and for realistic combat-like training purposes. The Air Force also participates in the Red Flag exercise which is a multilateral combined tactical exercise. In addition, aerial refueling training is carried out by the Air Force to acquire multi-mission and long-range overseas force projection capabilities. Other training activities carried out by the Air Force include counter-fire operations training to neutralize enemy’s long-range artilleries and maritime infiltration interception training in preparation against maritime infiltrations by enemy special warfare units. Furthermore, technology-driven training activities are held simulta neously utilizing simulators, GPS-Air Combat Maneuvering Instrumen tation (GPS-ACMI) equipment, and the Electronic Warfare Training System (EWTS) due to the limitations in initiating actual maneuver training. The Marine Corps, as a multipurpose rapid response force, is strengthening its realistic combat-like training and education in order to acquire operation execution capabilities that enable the completion of the mission in any situation during contingencies. Major exercises and training include amphibious training, ROK-U.S. combined training, joint training, and overseas combined training. Amphibious training is conducted to deploy amphibious forces to the F-15Ks performing aerial refueling training **GPS-ACMI** GPS-Air Combat Maneuvering Instrumentation **EWTS Electronic Warfare Training** System The ROK Ship Dokdo and amphibious armored vehicles during amphibious training ----- enemy coast onboard landing vessels, landing craft, and aircraft via sea. This training is mainly focused on developing division level amphibious operation capabilities. Combined training for combined arms, combined logistics and engineering exercises, and combined tactical air control exercises are carried out to enhance ROK-U.S. Marine Corps combined operations capabilities. The Marine Corps participates in joint exercises such as the ROK JCS-led Hoguk Exercise, coastal infiltration readiness exercise, and Northwest Islands reinforcement and defense exercises, and in overseas combined exercises such as Cobra Gold and the RIMPAC exercises. Also, in order to review the procedures for command and staff activities and elevate the operation plan execution capabilities, the Marine Corps is staging battle command training employing its own war game model (Cheonjabong model). It also holds surprise landing, airborne, mountain eering, special reconnaissance, and extreme wintertime cold and snow training to be able to complete missions for each echelon, and is developing realistic combat capabilities by participating in the Army’s battalion-level technology-driven combat training. The Northwest Islands Defense Command (NWIDC), established on 15 June 2011, is carrying out a multitude of exercises and training such as command and control and island defense exercises for any type of enemy provocation in order to strengthen the readiness posture against North Korea’s surprise occupation of the Northwest Islands and firing provocations. ----- **Developing the Operations** **and Management System of** **the Defense Workforce** The MND is pursuing a personnel policy that will allow the military to efficiently recruit and operate outstanding personnel who will lead the future battlefield. First, job stability was increased by maintaining an appropriate personnel structure centered on cadres, and a foundation for utilizing expertise was established. Also, the MND has established and is implementing a personnel management system that greatly values military expertise in order to select outstanding talents and use them in the right place. Through these efforts, the MND plans to cultivate elite personnel resources that will lead the digital battlefield in the era of cutting-edge information technology and digitization. **1. Recruiting and managing the defense workforce** The MND is developing the military workforce structure from an enlisted-centered force into a cadre-centered force that possess various expertise in order to reorganize the military structure into a technology intensive structure. Also, the MND is continuously developing a policy on defense workforce management by significantly improving the workforce recruiting system with the introduction of the system to reappoint reservists as active service members, and by increasing the level of female personnel authorizations. **| Designing an optimum personnel structure | In order to increase** job security for officers and NCOs and to utilize the expertise of these cadres, the personnel structure is being designed in the direction of maintaining the service period for each rank at a reasonable level and **Section** # 4 ----- guaranteeing a reasonable promotion rate. Up to now, there were difficulties in cultivating and utilizing the expertise of personnel because the military personnel structure was an inefficient ‘large quantity recruiting – short-term utilization – large quantity efflux’ structure where the percentage of lower ranking cadres (NCOs, second and first lieutenants) was too large, and military cadres were discharged after three to four years of short-term service. Although implementing a ‘small quantity recruiting – long-term utilization’ structure as a means to resolving this issue would be advantageous in cultivating and utilizing the expertise of the personnel, this structure could increase the personnel management cost caused by an increase in high-ranking personnel. Therefore, the MND plans to improve the personnel structure of military cadres in the direction of guaranteeing a reasonable promotion rate for each rank so that job security is reinforced and expertise of the cadres can be utilized. To realize this, the percentage of company-grade officers will gradually be reduced while the percentage of field-grade officer will be increased for officers, and the percentage of staff sergeants will gradually be reduced while sergeant first class and master sergeants will be increased for NCOs. This will heighten the professionalism of personnel at each rank and increase the efficiency of personnel utilization. **| Improving the recruitment system for elite personnel | In order** to recruit elite military cadres, it is crucial to manage various recruit and cultivation processes in a reasonable manner, and to establish a tailored personnel recruitment system. Accordingly, the MND is planning to make various improvements to the recruitment system such as adjusting the number of candidates for each course, increasing the number of female personnel, and introducing a tailored recruitment system. First, although there are a variety of officer candidate courses currently in operation such as the military academies and ROTC programs, the cost for each program and course varies as well as the quality of the officers produced by each program and course. Considering these characteristics, the number of candidates for each course will be adjusted to a reasonable level in the future. Second, the MND is cultivating female defense personnel through the introduction of the female ROTC program. By selecting some of the ----- female officers through the ROTC program, a foundation to recruit elite female defense personnel has been created. After selecting around 60 female ROTC candidates in September 2010 and initiating trial runs, it was assessed that elite female defense personnel can be recruited through this program and thus the program was expanded to 260 candidates in 2011. Third, the ROK military is recruiting personnel in a tailored manner from military related departments at civilian universities that were established through university-military agreements to meet the defense requirements. From 2004 to 2011, military studies departments opened in 11 universities, and by 2015, this number is expected to increase to 14. Additionally, the number of junior colleges that have non-commissioned officer studies departments, which was 43 in 2011, is expected to reach 58 by 2015. Future university-military agreements in the works are shown in Chart 7-4. **Chart 7-4. Future university-military agreements in the works** |Classification|2011|2015| |---|---|---| |Officer (Military Studies Department)|11 universities (420 students)|14 universities (520 students)| |NCO (NCO Studies Department)|43 colleges (4,485 students)|58 colleges (5,200 students)| Officers and NCOs graduating from military studies and NCO studies departments are assessed to be superior in terms of grades during the education period and in terms of field mission execution capabilities compared to officers and NCOs from regular departments. Based on these results, the MND is planning to further develop these university-military agreement initiatives in the future. Additionally, in order to eliminate the difficulties in recruiting combat branch NCOs and to cultivate NCOs who possess both physical and morale strength, the ROK military is pursuing to establish an ‘Army combat NCO department.’ Fourth, university students who are in the age range to carry out military service are showing preference towards military service as an enlisted rather than as an officer. It is assessed that university students are showing this tendency because the mandatory service period for enlisted service members has been reduced as seen in Chart 7-5 and due to the uncertainty ----- of one being selected as an officer. **Chart 7-5. Adjustments to the Army mandatory service period over the years** **month** 40 35 30 25 20 15 **Enlisted** **ROTC** **OCS** **36** **28** **21** 1963 1968 1981 1984 1993 2003 2010 Considering these tendencies, the MND has been implementing a ‘reserve officer candidate’ program since 2010. Through this program, a portion of those who will be selected as candidates for ROTC and OCS programs and cadets of the Korea Army Academy are chosen in advance as prepared officer candidates who then go through a prescribed process to be selected as officer candidates and cadets. For example, in the past, all OCS candidates were chosen among university graduates and soon-to graduate university students but now, out of the entire number of officers that will be commissioned, 30−70 percent are chosen among university students who are selected as reserve officer candidates. In accordance with the assessment that the reserve officer candidate program is conducive to acquiring elite personnel, the MND is planning to increase the percentage of those who are selected as reserve officer candidates. Additionally, an incentive is given to those who apply for ROTC and OCS programs since 2011 as a means to recruit elite short-term service officers. Furthermore, with fairness and objectivity firmly in place in the cadre selection method, the MND has developed and is utilizing a ‘junior cadre selection tool’ that comprehensively evaluates not only the moral capacity such as intellect, duty compatibility, and situational judgment capability but also the character, disposition and caliber of the applicants. ----- **| Reappointment of Peacetime Reservists to Active Service | The** MND will implement a program to reappoint reservists who possess military capabilities and expertise to active service starting from June 2013 in order to proactively cope with the difficulties incurred by changes to the personnel recruiting environment and to recruit elite personnel in an efficient manner. This program will be by far the most innovative policy of the personnel recruiting policies that have been pursued up to date. By reappointing reservists to active service, the MND is expecting to achieve the following objectives: 1) guarantee the stable management of personnel by supplementing in a flexible manner elite personnel who will serve a mid-term period considering the increase in the percentage of personnel serving a mid-term due to improvements in the military personnel structure; 2) manage the organization in a smooth manner by supplementing vacancies caused by, for example, an increase in paternity leaves; and 3) recruit reserve officers and NCOs who possess outstanding capabilities and military expertise required for positions that demand a high-level of proficiency such as military negotiations, overseas intelligence gathering, overseas deployment, and expert skills in a flexible manner, and utilize these personnel with the right capabilities at the right position. Reserve officers with the rank of first lieutenant and above and NCOs with the rank of sergeant first class and above who have been discharged for three years or less and do not have any reasons for disqualification are eligible to apply for this program. The appointment age limit stipulated in Article 15 of the Military Personnel Act does not apply to these personnel and there are no limitations for reappointment as long as they have not exceeded their respective rank and age limit. The MND plans to first determine the personnel requirements for each branch and rank and then select elite personnel through a screening process after posting a selection announcement. In principle, reappointed service members will serve for a short-term of two to three years. However, opportunities to serve a longer term with promotion opportunities will be given to elite service members who have been reappointed. The MND plans to utilize this program so that it contributes to the establishment of a combat oriented military by not only minimizing the ----- expected trials and errors during the beginning process of the program by eliminating in advance the anticipated problems and conflicting elements and by refining the related laws and regulations; but also recruiting elite personnel who possess various expertise and utilizing these personnel at the right positions. With the activation of the reservists active service reappointment program, it will be possible to recruit elite personnel in a flexible manner, allowing the utilization of personnel who still possess the experience and military expertise from their active service years at the right position without additional training. Also, the MND expects to counter vacancies caused by leaves of absence by supplementing elite personnel serving mid-terms in a stable manner and to guarantee conditions for smooth personnel management. **| Efficient Personnel Management | Personnel management in the** military needs to be carried out in a sustained manner based on a fixed number of personnel per Service and per rank. Through such personnel management, the military can meet the organizational requirements for mission execution and recruit the required personnel in a stable manner. As the retirement age for each rank moved up according to the amendments made to the Military Personnel Act in 1989 and 1993, the number of service members in some ranks exceeded the fixed number for that rank due to the decrease in service members being discharged from the military. However, the personnel management system is being normalized by implementing an age-based and service period-based retirement program simultaneously and controlling the number of promotions per rank at an appropriate level. This effort is expected to be completed by 2015, and the MND is planning to continue its efforts in managing its personnel system in a stable manner. In order to alleviate the problems caused by personnel serving at a certain rank for too long due to the retirement age being extended, the MND adjusted the minimum service period required for promotions for each rank to an appropriate length. In particular, the long service period (eight years) of captains was a source of low morale and an element that limited full performance while the short service period (four years) of colonels limited the opportunity for colonels to utilize their expertise in the ----- fields of policy and planning. In order to improve this situation and to manage personnel in an efficient manner, the minimum service period as a captain was reduced to seven years and the minimum service period as a colonel was extended to five years. Changes to the minimum service period for each ranks are shown in Chart 7-6. **Chart 7-6. Changes to the minimum service period for each rank** |Classification|2nd and 1st Lieutenant|Captain|Major|Lieutenant Colonel|Colonel| |---|---|---|---|---|---| |Before 2010|3 years|8 years|6 years|5 years|4 years| |After 2011|3 years|7 years|6 years|5 years|5 years| In addition, the Defense-Manpower Analysis Programming Plan & Support (D-MAPPS) system was developed and is being utilized for personnel management outlook, personnel structure analysis, and requirement assessment for recruiting personnel in order to manage personnel in an efficient and stable manner. This system is being further developed so that it can be applied for personnel management of all classes including officers, NCOs, enlisted members, and military civilians, and for personnel management of each specialized branch and specialty. **| Increase in Female Personnel and Improvements in Service** **Conditions | The MND is gradually increasing the number of female** personnel and is developing diverse gender defense policies to support such increase. As of September 2012, there are a total of 12,807 female defense personnel[1] of which 7,955 are female military service members, 373 female public officials, and 4,479 female military civilians. The detailed female defense personnel status is shown in Chart 7-7 and Chart 7-8. **1. Female Defense Personnel** All female public officials working at the MND and all female military service members and female military civilians working for each Service |Chart 7-7.|Female military service member status|Col3|Col4|Col5|Unit: persons|Col7|Col8|Col9| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |Total|Officers||||NCOs|||| ||Total|Army|Navy|Air Force|Total|Army|Navy|Air Force| |7,955|3,664|2,768|408|488|4,291|2,763|695|833| ----- **Chart 7-8. Female public official and military civilian status** |Col1|Col2|Col3|Col4|Col5|Unit: persons|Col7|Col8|Col9| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |Total|Female Public Officials||||Female Military Civilians|||| ||Total|Grade 4−5|Grade 6−7|Grade 8 and lower|Total|Grade 3−5|Grade 6−7|Grade 8 and lower| |4,852|373|70|210|93|4,479|187|1,390|2,902| According to the National Defense Reform Act, the number of female military service members are to be steadily increased through 2020. However, considering the social personnel environment[2] and the expected changes to the future military structure, the MND is planning to achieve its goal of increasing the number of female military service members[3] to its desired level by 2017. The female military service member increase plan is shown in Chart 7-9. **Chart 7-9. The female military service member increase plan** |Col1|Col2|Col3|Col4|Unit: persons| |---|---|---|---|---| |Classification|Total|Army|Navy|Air Force| |2012|8,346|5,792|1,221|1,333| |2015|10,121|6,970|1,607|1,544| |2020|12,165|8,495|1,875|1,795| Female military service members are carrying out duties in a variety of areas as commanders and staff members at various echelons and as fighter pilots, PKM captains, and troops deployed overseas. Also, like male service members, females now have the opportunity to dedicate themselves to national security by serving as reservists if they desire after active service in accordance with the amendments made to the Military Personnel Act and the Military Service Act. The MND is pursuing diverse policies in synch with the government’s gender policies in order to guarantee service conditions that allow all female defense personnel to be the best that they can be in various fields. First, in order to spread an awareness of gender equality and contribute to a gender equality culture taking root in the military, the MND is carrying out gender recognition improvement education[4] to field unit service members, cadres at each rank, and military civilians and public officials. In addition, better education results are being attained by **2. Social Personnel Environment** The need to recruit more female military service members is gradually increasing due to the decrease in manpower resources caused by low birthrate **3. Goal of Increasing the Number of** **Female Military Service Members** Increase the number of female officers to 7% of the fixed number of officers, and female NCOs to 5% of the fixed number of NCOs. **4. Gender recognition improvement** **education** Education to improve the capability to recognize the impact of sex and gender on the lives of males and females ----- applying a variety of educational techniques and developing and utilizing diverse subjects. Second, systems and policies that are gender biased or unreasonable are being identified and rectified and a counseling system for addressing female grievances is being operated at each echelon. Female grievance counselors[5] counsel and resolve grievances of female personnel in the unit and support junior cadres in the process of adjusting to the unit. Third, as the number of female military service members continues to increase, the MND is creating a service environment where female personnel are able to balance their duties at work and at home. In order to contribute to increasing the birthrate and strengthening maternity protection, maternity leave of absence for service members who are raising children under eight years old as well as maternity leave for spouses were expanded. Also, by improving various systems such as introducing an infertility leave of absence and building more child-care facilities, the MND is contributing to the efforts of guaranteeing conditions for childbirth and child-care. Fourth, the MND is strengthening the effectiveness of its gender impact assessment system by carrying out a gender impact assessment evaluation[6] in order to contribute to the realization of gender equality during the process of establishing major MND policies. It is also pursuing the establishment of an assessment system to have the results of the evaluation reflected in the related polices. In addition, in connection with this system, the MND is also expanding the budget for gender recognition that rectifies gender discriminative elements by analyzing in advance how the budget impacts males and females. Fifth, the MND is planning to fix the percentage of female committee members appointed to the MND government committee in order to expand the level of participation of females in policy decision processes. In addition, public relations activities to highlight the organizational leadership, sense of responsibility, and professionalism of female service members are being carried out towards various companies including large enterprises in order to support the employment of retiring female service members, and a mutual cooperation system between the military and companies is being established. **5. Female Grievance Counselors** A total of 646 counselors (female military service members and female military civilians) are working in units above brigade and division level units Female military service members in action **6. Gender Impact Assessment** **Evaluation** Program to help realize gender equality by assessing the impacts government policies will have on gender equality. Through this program, it will be possible to reduce social incidental expenses caused by unintended gender discrimination in advance. ----- **2. Establishing a Personnel Management System Centered** **on Military Expertise** The MND has established a personnel management system centered on military expertise in order to select and utilize elite personnel who can lead the effort in building a combat oriented military. Accordingly, the personnel management system is being improved in the direction of promoting and managing personnel focused on ability and military expertise while moving away from the existing traditional practice of considering balance and distribution as the main criteria for promotions according to type of commission, year of commission, and year of promotion. **| Officers | With the goal of cultivating elite personnel who possess** the capability and military expertise required to lead the battlefield of the future, the MND considers the selection and promotion of personnel based on capabilities while excluding past considerations focused on type of commission, year of commission, and year of promotion, establishing a duty assignment management system to strengthen jointness and the infrastructure, and improving the rating system for identifying elite military experts. First, a consensus that ‘even if you are close to your age or rank limit, you will be promoted or selected if you are an elite personnel’ has been established through a capability-based promotion system that does not consider the source of commission, year of commission, and year of promotion. Also, by selecting elite military experts in a respective field and assigning these experts to areas that require expertise such as military diplomacy and negotiations, and information technology, the utilization of officers has been improved. Second, the duty assignment management system has been improved in order to strengthen jointness and the infrastructure. First, jointness and cooperation have been strengthened by enhancing the understanding of and cooperation with other Services and branches through duty assignment exchange programs between Services and branches. Status of duty assignment exchanges between branches is shown in Chart 7-10. ----- **Chart 7-10. Status of duty assignment exchanges between branches** |Classification|Content| |---|---| |Total|42 branches and 518 positions (55 colonels, 99 lieutenant colonels, 171 majors, 104 captains, 89 1st and 2nd lieutenants)| |Army|17 branches and 201 positions (14 colonels, 20 lieutenant colonels, 98 majors, 67 captains, 2 1st and 2nd lieutenants)| |Navy|9 branches and 145 positions (25 captains, 28 commanders, 40 lieutenant commanders, 15 lieutenants, 37 Lieutenant junior grades and ensigns)| |Air Force|11 branches and 158 positions (16 colonels, 46 lieutenant colonels, 26 majors, 21 captains, 49 1st and 2nd lieutenants)| |Marine Corps|5 branches and 14 positions (5 lieutenant colonels, 7 majors, 1 captain, 1 1st and 2nd lieutenant)| By extending the duty period of combat regiment commanders [captains and group commanders (air force colonel level commanders)] and selecting and assigning elite personnel to units in contact areas, conditions to establish a combat readiness posture under the responsibility of the commander have been guaranteed. In addition, by introducing the duty assignment eligibility review system for key policy office positions, the best personnel for mission execution for the relevant position are selected and assigned. Third, in order to improve the rating system for identifying elite military experts, a category-based evaluation standard for each position at each rank has been established. The rating system for all Services has been changed to relative ratings and electronic ratings in order to enhance the assessment function and the fairness of ratings, and standards and methods for evaluating key capabilities in a three-dimensional manner have been established. In addition, the rating pattern and rating category have been improved so that it is possible to identify the specific military expertise, particularly those abilities unique to the personnel being rated. By strengthening regular rating verifications and including the rating verification results into the rater’s personnel management record, the raters are inspired to carry out their rating duties with a heightened sense of duty and responsibility. In the future, personnel selected for open ratings will be gradually expanded in order to increase transparency of ratings, and ratings will be further utilized as performance appraisal data to identify elite personnel and to assist in the development of individuals. ----- **| Non-commissioned Officers | The MND is redefining the role of** NCOs to be consistent with a combat oriented military, and is planning to implement a variety of policies that will create a culture where NCOs assigned to combat positions are respected and given priority treatment. First, the roles and responsibilities of NCOs, which have been focused on unit management and administrative support, have been redefined so that NCOs are at the core of generating combat power. Up to now, the roles of NCOs were to uphold and continue to develop the traditions of their respective units, assist the unit commander in carrying out his or her duties, and carry out unit management activities as unit management experts. However, with the roles of NCOs redefined as combat leaders and functional area experts, a foundation for the cultivation of a combat oriented military culture has been established. Second, a personnel recruiting system centered on combat branches (specialties) has been established. In order to recruit talented personnel with superior combat power, the percentage of NCOs recruited from a pool of enlisted service members is gradually increasing while the percentage of NCOs recruited straight from the civilian sector is being lowered. Also, the hometown area service system which allows NCOs to serve in units located in their hometown area (limited to frontline area only) is being expanded in order to improve the rate of NCOs being assigned to frontline area units. In addition, the MND is planning to acquire tailored personnel by gradually increasing the number of academy-military agreement universities and personnel, and has improved the related systems so that paid volunteer service members (special NCOs) can serve for mid to long-term periods. Third, the promotion and long-term service selection system has been refined so that NCOs assigned to combat positions are given priority treatment. The distribution of marks for each standard evaluation elements has been adjusted so that NCOs who possess superior combat skills and capabilities are selected during promotion and long-term service selections, and that NCOs who are assigned at combat positions for a long period receive higher evaluations. In addition, improvements to the long-term service system are being made by increasing the percentage of personnel selected for long-term service and expanding the opportunity for NCOs to apply for long-term service. NCOs in action ----- Fourth, an honorary promotion system has been introduced in the second half of 2011 in order to heighten the self-esteem and increase the morale of NCOs. Accordingly, it is now possible for master sergeants, who are retiring after more than 20 years of faithful service with outstanding performance records, to be promoted to sergeant majors on the day of their discharge. **| Military Civilians | The MND is strengthening the employment** system for recruiting elite military civilians, and is revising the related laws and ordinances and systems in order to maximize the efficiency in managing the military civilian organization. First, in order to hire competent military civilians, the MND has strengthened the assessment functions of the employment exam since 2011. In addition to this effort, the objectivity and transparency of this exam has been reinforced by forming a personnel pool consisting of university professors and specialists in specific areas to write and validate questions and answers. Second, the military civilian occupational groups and series, which were excessively subdivided compared to public officials, have been integrated through merger and abolition[7] as of 1 January 2012 in line with the changing military environment and efforts to reform the military structure. In particular, by integrating the functional series that carried out similar duties as regular government services into the general series, a system has been established where duty efficiency and professionalism can be maximized. Third, up to now, the efficiency in duty performance has declined because it was not possible to supplement the loss of personnel due to military civilians, who have less than one year left until they reach their retirement age, going on training courses during their transitional leave. In order to eliminate the problem of long-term vacant positions from occurring, the MND is planning to revise the Military Civilian Personnel Act to establish a legal basis to be able to supplement vacancies caused by military civilians going on training courses during their transitional leave. Fourth, currently, it is only possible to appoint contracted military civilians to positions where expert knowledge is required which makes it impossible to appoint contracted military civilians to vacant positions Military civilians in action **7. Integration through merger and** **abolition of the occupational group** **and series system** 23 occupational groups, 79 occupational series 11 occupational groups, 56 occupational series - Occupational group: set of people doing same kind of work - Occupational series: set of several positions characterized by similar types of work but different in terms of skill level and responsibilities ----- created by military civilians going on paternity and maternity leaves. As such, the MND is planning to amend the Military Civilian Personnel Act to increase the efficiency in managing personnel by appointing contracted military civilians, who are employed for a specific time frame, to positions that demand flexible appointments. Fifth, the MND is pursuing a revision of the Enforcement Ordinance of the Military Civilian Personnel Act with the purpose of abolishing Grade Ten of the functional military civilian class and expanding the possible long-service promotion of military civilians to Grade Six from the current Grade of Seven in line with the improvement trend of the personnel management system for public officials. Through this initiative, significant improvements are expected to be made in enhancing the morale and welfare of military civilians and vitalizing the duty atmosphere. Sixth, as a means to realizing an impartial society, the MND signed the ‘Agreement to Expand the Employment of Disabled Persons’ with the Korea Employment Agency for the Disabled, and gave shape to its ‘Military Civilian Employment Plan’ by expanding the areas of employment for the disabled. **3. Education of Professional Defense Personnel** The MND is continuously educating its professional defense personnel to actively prepare for changes to the defense environment in the future while efficiently recruiting personnel required by the military in a mid-to-long term perspective. **| Cutting-edge Studies and Advanced Military Areas | In order to** cultivate personnel required for developing and operating future weapon systems, annually the MND is providing educational opportunities for around 300 cadres who are mainly science and engineering majors in the fields of high tech science and technology at universities at home and abroad. Also, around 400 military cadres are sent overseas every year to receive education and training at foreign military educational institutes with the goal of training regional experts such as military attaches, strengthening military cooperation through personnel exchanges with Signing of the ‘Agreement to Expand the Employment of Disabled Persons’ (MND, July 2011) ----- foreign militaries, and learning advanced military doctrines and skills to enhance the global capacity of military cadres. Military personnel are sent to over 30 countries including the U.S., Japan, and Germany to receive foreign military education, and education opportunities will be diversified to newly cooperating areas such as the Middle East, South America, and Africa. **| Foreign Student Education and Language Areas | In accordance** with the overseas military education exchange policy, the ROK military invites foreign officers and cadets to study at ROK military educational institutes. Since the foreign student education program commenced in 1970, a total of 610 personnel from 35 nations received education in ROK educational institutes, and in 2012, a total of 67 personnel from 20 nations are studying at the Army, Navy, and Air Force Colleges, military academies of each Service, and in the National Defense University security course. Recently, due to the increased status of the ROK military, requests by foreign militaries to have their personnel study in the ROK have increased, and the number of nations and personnel coming to the ROK to study is gradually increasing as the military diplomacy channels get more and more diversified. Meanwhile, in order to flexibly respond to the language education requirements that are becoming more diversified and internationalized and to systematically cultivate personnel in the perspective of national defense, the MND established the Defense Language Institute under the Joint Forces Military University on 1 December 2012 which integrated all language courses of each Service. With the establishment of the Defense Language Institute, English and second foreign language education for officers and NCOs of each Service, interpreting officer education, and Korean language education for foreign military students will all be provided at the Defense Language Institute. **| Defense Management Area | In order to instill a defense** management thought process through advanced management technique education, training opportunities are being provided at companies for officers (majors and lieutenant colonels) and through ‘chief security executive courses’ for general and flag officers and senior public ----- officials. ‘Training at companies’ commenced in 2011 with 20 major level officers being selected to receive training at six local companies including Samsung Electronics. Officers who participate in the ‘training at companies’ learn through experience the various know-how and management techniques of civilian companies by working in eight fields of management such as human resources, business management, marketing, supply network management, and energy. After this training, they deduce the lessons and cases that can be applied to the military and disseminate what they learned to the military personnel through presen tations and reports. In 2012, the number of selectees increased to 30 and these officers were sent to nine companies considering the positive results achieved in the previous year such as the visible enhancement in the management thought process for each area. The ‘chief security executive course’ is being provided at the College of Business Administration at Seoul National University. This is an education course tailored to national defense management and security where a mix of students including 25 general and flag officers and senior public officials and 25 civilian executive officers attend. The 12 week course in 2011 from September to December focused on lectures and lessons that can be readily applied to defense areas such as the most recent business administration and economic theories after the global financial crisis, changes to the management environment and survival strategies for companies, and organizational culture focused on communication. Starting from 2012, the course has been expanded to 16 weeks. ----- |1 2|Col2| |---|---| |2|| ||| 1 2 ----- ##### Chapter 8 **Enhancing the Efficiency** **of National Defense** **Management** 218 227 231 235 245 Section 1 Enhancing the Efficiency of National Defense Budget Management Section 2 Enhancing Fairness and Transparency of Weapons System Acquisition Section 3 Optimizing Defense Resources through the Use of Private Sectors Section 4 Enhancing the Efficiency of National Defense Resource Management Section 5 Developing the Defense Economy in Support of the National Economy **1 Seoul International Aerospace and Defense** Exhibition 2012 (ADEX 2012) **2 Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) Black** Eagles executing an aerobatic maneuver during the Royal International Air Tattoo in July 2012. ----- **Enhancing the Efficiency of** **National Defense Budget** **Management** The Ministry of National Defense (MND) is putting forward substantial efforts to secure an appropriate amount of budget for national defense and to efficiently manage the budget in order to respond to various security threats and execute national defense reforms in a stable manner. Moreover, the MND is striving to increase management efficiency in all aspects of national defense in order to optimize the limited defense budget. **1. Securing an Appropriate Amount of Defense Budget** **| Changes in Defense Budget Allocation | The percentage of the** defense budget via-à-vis the ROK Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and the entire ROK government budget has changed with the security and financial environment. The overall trend in defense budget allocation is shown in Chart 8-1. **Chart 8-1. Overall Trend of Defense Budget via-à-vis the GDP and Government Budget** **General Account** 35 30 25 20 15 10 **Section** # 1 **Ratio to Government Budget** **Ratio to GDP** **34.7** **29.4** **24.2** **21.4** **16.3** **15.6** **14.7** **14.8** **5.7** **4.3** **3.5** **2.7** **2.3** **2.4** **2.5** **2.5** 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2012 ----- Until the early 1980s, the defense budget was 5 percent of the GDP and 30 percent of the government budget. This was because a sufficient budget was allocated for the implementation of various force enhancement plans, including the Yulgok project,[1] that were initiated during the mid-1970s. Starting from the late-1980s, however, the defense budget was signifi cantly reduced due to the increase in investments to growth-inducing infrastructure, greater demand for social welfare, and the Asian financial crisis. As of 2012, the defense budget is 2.52 percent of the GDP and 14.8 percent of the government budget. **| Importance of Securing a Defense Budget Consistent with the** **Security Conditions | In general, the size of the defense budget is** determined through a holistic approach that considers military requirements needed to respond to security threats and the nation’s financial capacity. For those countries that are directly exposed to external military threats, such as the ROK, there exist greater military requirements to properly respond to such security threats. Compared to many other countries around the world, the size of the ROK defense budget is relatively small, despite the high level of security threats. The ratios of defense budget to GDP for major nations involved in conflict or military confrontation are shown in Chart 8-2. **Chart 8-2. Ratios of Defense Budget to GDP of Major Nations Involved in Conflict or Military** **Confrontation as of 2010** |Israel|Jordan|United States|Lebanon|Georgia|Syria|Pakistan|Russia|Iran|ROK|PRC| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |6.46|5.42|4.77|4.16|4.15|3.94|3.24|2.84|2.56|2.52|1.3| *[ Source: The Military Balance, 2012 (London, International Institution for Strategic studies)] Moreover, the level of defense budget per capita is also somewhat lower. While the average per capita defense budget of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries is 585 USD, that of the ROK is only 515 USD, or 88 percent of the OECD average. **| Expected Utility from Securing an Appropriate Amount of Defense** **Budget | In order to guarantee the survival and prosperity of the state,** **1. Yulgok Project** A military modernization plan implemented from 1974 to 1992 with the objective of establishing a selfreliant national defense posture. The project contributed to force enhancement through the development and production of M-16 rifles and K-1 tanks. **Appendix 2** See the table on the comparison of major countries’ defense budgets ----- firm security posture needs to be maintained by securing an appropriate amount of defense budget. Any security crisis on the Korean Peninsula, such as North Korea’s attack on the ROK Ship Cheonan, the shelling of _Yeonpyeongdo (island), and nuclear tests, can damage the international_ credibility of the ROK and have negative impact on the ROK’s economy. Therefore, in a state of military confrontation between the South and North on the Korean Peninsula, maintaining a robust security posture is imperative for the continued and stable development of the ROK economy. Furthermore, the defense budget utilized for a steadfast security posture also provides positive contributions to the economy by propelling a virtuous cycle as depicted in Chart 8-3. The establishment of a solid security posture through the acquisition of an appropriate amount of defense budget leads to a more stable society and economy and better national credibility, which in turn leads to the stable growth of national economy. Likewise, higher rates of economic growth bring about an increase in revenue and an expansion of the government budget, which in turn contribute to securing an appropriate amount of defense budget. **Chart 8-3. A Virtuous Cycle between Security and Economy Created Via Securing an Appro-** **priate Amount of Defense Budget** Better National Credibility Facilitating Economic Activities and Investment **Economic Growth** Increased Revenue Expansion of Productive Capacity and Employment Steadfast Security Posture **an Appropriate** **Amount of** **Defense Budget** Creating Domestic Demand, Increased Investments in Defense-related Research and Development, and Development of Human Resources **Stable Society** **Expanded** **Government** Increased Resource **Budget** Increased Revenue Allocation for Defense **Facilitating Production** **and Advancing** **Technology** The defense expenditure required for national security not only supports the inherent functions of national defense but also contributes to creating various economic synergies. Personnel expenses, including wages for the service members and civilian employees in the military, help create ----- effective demand and facilitate industrial production. Project expenditures required for the acquisition of weapons systems and logistical materials, and construction of military facilities and installations flow into various industrial sectors including manufacturing and construction, leading to increased production, employment, and growth rates. Advanced technologies acquired through research and development in the defense industries are shared with the private sector, leading to increased private sector productivity, and contributing to the development of electric, communications, and mechanical engineering industries. Some notable examples of such effects are captured in Chart 8-4. **Chart 8-4. Spin-Off Examples of Defense Science and Technology Transfer to the Private** **Sector per Major Industries** **Knocking** **Design of** **Piezoelectric** **Ammunition** **Sensors on** **Shock Sensor** **Shock Device** **Automobile** **Navigation** **Satellite** **Satellite** **Software Based on** **Intelligence** **Imagery** **Image Map** **Digital Map with** **Actual Images** **Spread** **Next** **Spectrum and** **Mobile** **Communications** **Generation FM** **Synchronization** **Communications** **Radio** **Technology** **Technology for** **Personal** **Chemical,** **Radiation** **Designing** **Dosimeters and** **Biological and** **Detector** **Radiation** **Radiation** **Radiological** **Detector** **Detectors** **Carbon** **Basic Production** **Composites for** **Technology for** **Material** **Heat Pipes** **Ultra-High-** **Composite** **Temperature** **Materials** The military specialty training and education have also been nurturing technical experts and numerous nationally certified technicians. In the past five years, a total of 52,943 nationally certified technicians were trained in the military as industrial engineers and technicians in 120 different fields including mechanical, chemical, electric, and electronic engineering (data from the National Defense Statistics Year Book 2006-2010). ----- **2. Defense Budget and Mid-term Defense Program** **| Defense Budget 2012 | The defense budget in 2012 totaling** 32.9576 trillion Korean Won (KRW), has shown a five percent increase from 2011’s budget, and focused on building a combat-oriented military and enhancing the morale and welfare of service members. The scope and distribution of the defense budget in fiscal year (FY) 2012 is shown in Chart 8-5. **Chart 8-5. Scope and Distribution of Defense Budget in FY 2012 General Account** **Unit: 100 million KRW** |Types|Col2|FY 2011|FY 2012|Changes|Changes (%)| |---|---|---|---|---|---| |Total||314,031|329,576|15,545|5.0| |Force Operating Costs|total|217,096|230,638|13,542|6.2| ||Personnel Management|128,185|134,923|6,738|5.3| ||Operations and Maintenance Costs|88,911|95,715|6,804|7.7| |Force Improvement Budget||96,935|98,938|2,003|2.1| The force operating costs,[2] which amounted to a total of 23.0638 trillion KRW, or 70 percent of the defense budget, showed a 6.2 percent increase compared to that of 2011 and focused on the implementation of key defense policies. These policies included building a combat-oriented military, enhancing the morale and welfare of service members, and preparing for the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON). First, in order to build a combat-oriented military, the requirements to enhance operation and security facilities in forward areas were reflected in the budget, and efforts were put forward to improve the execution of combat mission capabilities by expanding the support of supplying combat equipment including bullet-proof vests and functional combat boots. Moreover, efforts were made to improve the existing corps-level training facilities into combat-oriented comprehensive training facilities in order to guarantee realistic warfighting training conditions. Second, the requirements to improve the morale and welfare of service members were also reflected in the budget. This included the goal to reform the military medical system which entails improving the sanitary **Appendix 16** See the table on the annual defense budgets **2. Force Operating Costs** Previously known as ‘ordinary operating costs.’ Due to the tendency of the term’s connotation being perceived as being expendable costs, it was replaced with the term ‘force operating costs’ in January 2011. ----- conditions of basic training centers and expanding the scope of the service members eligible for vaccination. Moreover, efforts to modernize military barracks and quarters will continue to be made. Also, encouragement incentives for non-commissioned officers (NCOs) serving in combat units and other incentives were introduced. Various compensations were also increased for those who are serving in austere environment and responsible for missions and tasks with high levels of risk and difficulty. Third, the requirements for the implementation of major policies and tasks were also reflected in the budget. These include the budget for constructing a war game center and opposing force (OPFOR) facilities, in preparation for the transfer of wartime OPCON as well as expanding core intelligence protection infrastructure in response to various cyber threats. The forces enhancement budget, which amounted to a total of 9.8938 trillion KRW, showed a 2.1 percent increase compared to that of 2011, and focused on three major aspects. First, in preparation against North Korea’s local provocation and long range artillery threat, improvements in surveillance and detection capabilities and development of Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence (C4I) systems, which entailed counter artillery detection radar,[3] next-generation thermal observation device (TOD), and tactical information communication network (TICN) programs, were made. Moreover, the requirements to improve precision strike and air defense capabilities, which include precision guided munitions (PGMs) for ground target,[4] and mid-range surface-to-air guided missile programs, were also reflected in the budget. Second is the improvement of core capabilities, including the combined command and control (C2) systems, theater operations command facilities, ground laser target designators (LTDs), Ulsan-class Batch-I/II,[5] and multi-purpose precision guided cluster bomb units (CBUs), in preparation for the transition of wartime OPCON. Also reflected in the budget were the core requirements for the transformation of military structure in support of the execution of Defense Reform Basic Plan, which involves the activation of a Ground Operations Command and the implementation of ground observation post (GOP) advanced technological security systems project. Third is the implementation of the high-altitude unmanned aerial **3. Counter-artillery Detection Radar** **Project** Counter-artillery detection radar detects the location of enemy artillery by retracing the trajectory of the shells launched from enemy artillery. The project entails the acquisition of such assets in order to strengthen the ground forces’ counter-fire warfare capabilities **4. Precision Guided Munitions [(]PGMs[)]** **Project for Ground Target** A project that entails the acquisition of PGMs which can strike targets such as enemy coastal artilleries, multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), and self-propelled guns (SPGs) in tunnels in cases of enemy provocation. **5. Ulsan-class Batch-I/II Project** A project that entails the acquisition of next-generation frigates with better combat capabilities and survivability in order to replace the antiquated frigates and corvettes. ----- vehicles (HUAVs),[6] next generation fighter jets (F-X),[7] _Jangbogo-III_ (Korea Attack Submarine III, or KSS-III),[8] and Gwanggaeto-III (Korean Destroyer Experimental III, or KDX-III)[9] projects to prepare for various threats by North Korea and other neighboring countries. As for the special accounts allocated to the MND, there are those for the relocation of defense and military facilities, relocation of the United States Forces in Korea (USFK) bases, and construction of an ‘Innovation City.’ The total amount of MND-allocated special accounts budget amounted to 926.7 billion KRW, and its distributions are shown in Chart 8-6. **Chart 8-6. Special Accounts Budget, FY 2012** **Unit: 100 million KRW** |Types|FY 2011|FY 2012|Changes|Change (%)| |---|---|---|---|---| |Defense and Military Facilities Relocation|8,226|5,317|-2,909|-35.4| |USFK Base Relocation|3,869|3,850|-19|-0.5| |Innovation City Construction|757|100|-657|-86.8| |Total|12,852|9,267|-3,585|-27.9| The special account for the relocation of defense and military facilities was introduced for the relocation of the relevant facilities located in urban centers to suburbs, and for the purchase of private lands used by the military. In 2012, a total of 531.7 billion KRW was allocated for this purpose, in support of the planning of relocation of the First Logistics Support Command and the relocation of the off-base ammunitions storage site for Gwangju Airbase. The special account for the relocation of USFK bases amounted to 385 billion KRW in support of the USFK base relocation to Pyeongteak. The special account for the construction of an ‘Innovation City’ was introduced in accordance with the Public Agency Relocation Plan (enacted on 24 June 2005), which entails the budget for the relocation of the National Defense University (NDU). In particular, the budget for 2012 for this purpose amounted to 10 billion KRW, as the Ministry of Strategy and Finance (MOSF) finalized the total budget requirements for the relocation of the NDU on 7 December 2011. **| Mid-term Defense Program 2013-2017 | The Mid-term Defense** Program 2013-2017 has allocated the budgets of this period with the **6. HUAVs Project** A project that entails the acquisition of HUAVs in order to guarantee intelligence collection capabilities in response to any changes in the North Korean threats or future battlefield environment. **7. F-X Project** A project that entails the acquisition of high-performance fighter jets that can replace antiquated fighters, secure air superiority, and fulfill the concept of future battlefield management. **8. Jangbogo-III Project** A project that entails the acquisition of submarines that can help strategically deter various maritime threats from North Korea and other neighboring countries. **9. Gwanggaeto-III Project** A project that entails the acquisition of a modern destroyer, which can perform composite - i.e. ground, maritime, and air battle functions. ----- focus on improving the current force capabilities, acquiring core capabilities in preparation for wartime OPCON transition, and enhancing advanced morale and welfare support systems in order to maintain combat readiness and fulfill the objective of building combat mission oriented advanced elite military forces. The budget allocated to the Mid-term Defense Program 2013-2017 amounts to 199.6 trillion KRW, and reflects an average increase of 5.3 percent for force operation, 8.6 percent for force improvement, and 6.4 percent for total defense budgets for the mid-term period. The overall scope of the Mid-term Defense Program 2013-2017 is shown in Chart 8-7. **Chart 8-7. Mid-Term Defense Program 2013-2017** **Unit: trillion KRW and %** |Types|Col2|2012|Project Years|Col5|Col6|Col7|Col8|Col9| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| ||||2013|2014|2015|2016|2017|Total| |Defense Budget (Changes) Force Operating Costs (Changes) (Proportions) Force Improvement Budget (Changes) (Proportions)||33.0 (5.0)|35.4 (7.4)|37.5 (5.9)|39.6 (5.6)|42.3 (6.9)|44.9 (6.2)|199.6 (6.4)| ||Force Operating Costs (Changes) (Proportions)|23.1 (6.2) (70.0)|24.4 (5.8) (68.9)|25.7 (5.4) (68.6)|27.0 (5.1) (68.3)|28.4 (5.2) (67.2)|29.9 (5.3) (66.7)|135.5 (5.3) (67.9)| ||Force Improvement Budget (Changes) (Proportions)|9.9 (2.1) (30.0)|11.0 (11.1) (31.1)|11.8 (6.9) (31.4)|12.5 (6.7) (31.7)|13.9 (10.5) (32.8)|15.0 (8.0) (33.3)|64.1 (8.6) (32.1)| The force operation costs focused on the requirements to maintain the core capabilities in preparation for the transfer of wartime OPCON, improve the capabilities of existing forces, and enhance the service members’ morale and welfare. More specifically, resources were allocated for the establishment of realistic education and training systems, reform of the military medical system, improvement of individual uniform and equipment, and assurance of follow-up logistics support for advanced capabilities. As for the force improvement budget, priority was given to the enhancement of core capabilities, including surveillance and detection, C2 and communications, and precision strike systems, in preparation for the transition of wartime OPCON. Moreover, resources were focused on reinforcing those capabilities required to respond to existing North Korean ----- threats, such as their long-range artillery (LRA) or missile threats, and to various potential future threats. Furthermore, allocating resources for the key requirements regarding the transformation of military structure created a favorable environment for the implementation of the Defense Reform Basic Plan. Also, sufficient resources were also allocated to defense related research and development in order to facilitate the capacity for the independent development of weapons systems. **3. Execution of Defense Budget and Enhanced Perfor-** **mance Management** In order to minimize the budget from being carried over to the next fiscal year and facilitate the efficient execution of the defense budget, the MND has been strengthening its spot inspection activities and conducting regular inspections on budget executions. Moreover, in order to establish a low-cost, high-efficiency, and advanced defense management system, and to guarantee priority investment of resources in the areas with the most need, the MND has been implementing the Defense Management Efficiency Plan. The current execution status of the plan is revisited on a regular basis through the Defense Management Efficiency Inspection Committee Meetings chaired by the Vice Minister of National Defense, and each Service has also been executing their service-specific inspection plans. These efforts to enhance the efficiency of defense management and the resultant savings in resources and manpower are being translated into priority investments in more urgent and necessary areas, such as the enhancement of service members’ morale and welfare as well as any contingent forces enhancement plans. ----- **Enhancing Fairness and** **Transparency of Weapons** **System Acquisition** The MND is striving to build up its military strength in a stable and efficient manner under the constraints of limited available resources. In order to do so, the MND has been strengthening force requirement reviews to ensure objective validity and credibility of the long-term force enhancement projects that require a large-scale budget commitment. Moreover, the MND has established new organizations and made improvements to existing institutions in order to enhance fairness and transparency of force improvement programs. **1. Enhancing the Requirement Reviews on Force Enhance-** **ment Programs** Considering the limited available resources for national defense, the MND has been enhancing the requirement reviews of force enhancement programs in order to ensure objective validity and credibility of force requirements such as additional weapons systems. To this end, the MND has established the Force Requirements Review Committee, which consists of civilian, government, and military members, chaired by the Vice Minister of National Defense, in order to conduct systematic and objective reviews on the validity of the new force requirements raised by the military. The composition of the committee is shown in Chart 8-8. **Section** # 2 ----- **Chart 8-8. Composition of Force Requirement Review Committee** |Type|Col2|Col3|Details| |---|---|---|---| |Civilian|Private (5)||Military Strategy Experts, Defense Industry, Industrial Engineers, and Economists| ||Think Tanks(5)|Economics|Researchers from Korea Development Institute and Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade| |||Defense|Vice Presidents of Korea Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA), Agency for Defense Development, and Defense Agency for Technology and Quality| |Government|Ministries (3)||Relevant Chiefs and Directors from the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, Ministry of Education and Science Technology, and Ministry of Knowledge Economy| |Military|MND, Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), and Military (7)||Chief of MND Office of Military Force and Resources Management, Vice Commissioner of DAPA, Chief Director for Strategic Plans and Policy (J5), and Vice Chiefs of Service| |Total|||20| The detailed procedure of force requirements review is as follows. First, the MND identifies the review candidate programs from the newly determined force requirement programs, which require more than 100 billion KRW or are expected to have significant economic spillover effects. Then, the Force Requirements Analysis Group of the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA), which supports the Force Requirements Review Committee, conducts basic analysis of alternatives (AOAs) for selected candidate programs. The committee then reviews the results of such analysis. Finally, appropriate follow-up actions, such as reflecting the outcome of the reviews in the Defense Mid-term Program, are taken. The objective of enhancing the requirement reviews on the force enhancement programs is to build up the military strength in a stable and effective manner by ensuring objective validity and credibility of force enhancement programs, which require substantial long-term budgeting. Such force requirement reviews provides strong motivation for supporting a reasonable and highly relevant Defense Mid-term Program, and for helping military force requirement planning tasks to be developed in a more systematic manner. ----- **2. Ensuring Fairness and Transparency of Forces Enhance-** **ment Programs** Three large-scale foreign acquisition projects, namely the next generation fighter jets (F-X), large attack helicopters, and maritime operational helicopters projects, and several major research and development projects, including the capabilities improvement of K1A1 tanks, production of FA-50 fighter jets, construction of Jangbogo-II and -III submarines, were carried out in 2012. In order to execute such projects in a fair and transparent manner, relevant organizations have been newly established and institutions improved. First, a whole-of-government working-level committee, composed of relevant representatives from ten key administrative organizations, was established in March 2012 in order to facilitate seamless coordination among the relevant government bodies. Through this committee, negotiation strategies regarding the next generation fighter jets (F-X) are being reviewed at the governmental level, and courses of action regarding trade-offs among governmental bodies and industrial cooperation including the use of relevant core technologies are being established. Second, the Task Force on Large-scale Air Capabilities Acquisition, composed of military and civilian experts, was established in January 2012, and has been conducting objective reviews and inspections of negotiation strategies and evaluation criteria regarding large-scale foreign acquisition projects. Third, evaluation groups for each Service were established in March 2012 in support of the testing and evaluation of the next generation fighter jets (F-X), large attack helicopters, and maritime operational helicopters projects. Each Service evaluation group is responsible for missions such as testing and feasibility evaluation of relevant weapons systems and providing technical negotiations support. Fourth, the Guideline on the Evaluation and Negotiation of Research and Development Proposals was substantially revised in April 2012, in order to enhance fairness and transparency of evaluation of proposals on domestic research and development projects. The main revisions include changes in the list of items for evaluation, standardization of weight proportions, institutionalization of field visits and proposal hearings, and ----- expanding the scope of disclosure of evaluation results. Fifth, efforts are being made to prevent unfair competitive activities when making bids for contracts. If unfair competitive activities are committed, the actor is required to provide an explanation. When such explanation is not sufficient, sanction measures, such as imposing disadvantages during the evaluation for selecting the model or registering the bidder as an unscrupulous vendor and limiting the opportunity to bid for other contracts, are being reviewed from various angles. Sixth, emphasis is being placed on communicating with the public when implementing force enhancement programs. Such communications include providing open access to information on force enhancement programs on the web and holding regular press briefings. Through these efforts, the views and ideas of relevant experts and the public are being reviewed and incorporated. The various efforts and measures outlined above will not only enhance fairness and transparency of forces enhancement programs but also signif icantly contribute to the ultimate goal of promoting national interest. ----- **Optimizing Defense** **Resources through the Use** **of Private Sectors** In order to increase the efficiency of defense management, the MND has been utilizing private sector resources for combat service support including installation maintenance and management, supply, maintenance, and transportation. Moreover, diverse efforts are being made to optimize the limited defense resources by introducing performance-based management techniques such as the military executive agency system and the Lean Six Sigma, and by replacing military equipment with superior commercial goods. **1. Increasing the Use of Private Sector Resources in Com-** **bat Service Support** Combat service support is an area in which the use of substitute private sector resources can easily lead to enhanced management efficiency. The ROK military has used various types of private sector resources, including capital, manpower, and facilities, for combat service support. In particular, modernizing military accommodations including barracks and housing has been completed in an early manner through the use of private resources; the level of medical service in military hospitals has been improved by hiring civilian doctors and specialists; and the proportion of civilian professors hired at the military academies of each Service has been increasing in a gradual manner. Additionally, the MND is continually looking for projects in the fields of supply, maintenance, and welfare, in which the use of private resources are feasible. For instance, starting from 2012, laundry and repair services for supply units are being outsourced to civilian companies, and the civilian vehicle leasing service was introduced in order to curtail the **Section** # 3 ----- number of vehicles owned by the military. In the future, a civilian-military cooperative maintenance service project for Army and Air Force aircraft, and a project utilizing civilian distribution networks for military convenience stores will be pursued. **2. Introduction of Performance-based Management Tech-** **niques** The MND has been improving its management efficiency by introducing performance-based management techniques such as the ‘military executive agency system’ and the ‘Lean Six Sigma.’[1] ‘The military executive agencies’ aims to facilitate performance-based management by allowing organizational, personnel, and financial autonomy to the heads of organizations, and making those heads directly responsible for the organization’s performance. With regard to this system, the Act on the Designation and Management of Military Executive Agency was enacted in 2008. Following the enactment of this law, combat service support units such as publishing, medical, supply, and maintenance units, were designated as military executive agencies in order to promote efficient defense management. A total of five agencies were first designated as military executive agencies in 2009, and as of 2012, a total of 14 units and organizations have been designated and are operating as military executive agencies. After the designation of military executive agencies, assessments showed that the customer satisfaction rate increased and management efficiency improved due to the provision of customer-centered services and the application of a systematic performance-management system. The MND expects to transform its military units and agencies into performance-based organizations by continuously expanding the military executive agency system to all combat service support units. The MND is also striving to achieve higher management efficiency by introducing the Lean Six Sigma, which is an advanced management technique proven to be successful in the commercial sector, into the military. In 2011, a total of 56 tasks were successfully completed in the areas of supply and maintenance of each of the Services with the **1. Lean Six Sigma** Advanced civilian management technique that aims to achieve a leaner business process by making the necessary adjustments to business processes, and to minimize the defect rate of products and business results. (Six sigma level: an advanced management technique meaning three to four defects out of one million cases.) Lean Six Sigma Presentation of Accomplishments (January 2012) ----- assistance of external expert consulting agencies, which resulted in reducing approximately 74 billion KRW. Moreover, an institutional basis to continue pursuing such projects was established by enacting the Directive on the Defense Management Innovation based on Lean Six Sigma. By building on the successful execution of Lean Six Sigma projects in 2011, additional efforts, such as creating an atmosphere in which commanding officers of various units can manage their units with innovative mindsets, were put forward in order to help management innovation become an integral part of organizational culture. In 2012, the application of Lean Six Sigma was expanded to tasks not only in logistics, but also in all other areas of national defense including operations, personnel, and training and education. In order to ensure that post management review is conducted on those tasks that have already been completed, and that projects pursued in 2012 are efficiently managed, an evaluation system in which retired experts are utilized is also being operated. With the assistance from external expert consulting agencies, the MND plans to expand the Lean Six Sigma initiative to all areas of national defense by 2013, and to conduct Lean Six Sigma activities on its own starting from 2014. **3. Increasing the Use of High Quality Commercial Goods in** **the Military** The MND has been increasing its use of high-quality commercial goods that have been developed using advanced technologies from the civilian sector. As a part of this effort, the MND has been scrutinizing and deciding which items on the list of military specifications could potentially be substituted with commercial goods. Moreover, the possibility of using commercial goods is first reviewed from the development stage of military goods. Also, the use of cost-effective and well-built commercial equipment and goods are first considered prior to the acquisition of new military goods. In order to continually increase the use of commercial goods, the MND has designated the Defense Agency for Technology and Quality (DTaQ) as ----- the expert support agency for the systematic review of military specifi cations. Moreover, in order to coordinate and control the military specifi cations-related tasks of various military specifications management agencies of each Service and the Defense Acquisition Program Adminis tration (DAPA) in a comprehensive manner at the MND level, the Defense Specifications Review Committee was established with the Vice Minister of National Defense as the Chairman. This Committee, which is responsible for reviewing and adjusting military specifications, strives to actively introduce commercial goods into the military by relaxing and eliminating certain specifications by applying the commercial Korean Industrial Standards (KS)etc. The concept diagram depicting the introduction of commercial goods is shown in Chart 8-9. **Chart 8-9. Concept Diagram of Introduction of Commercial Goods** **Maintain** **Operational** **Capability, Quality,** **and Durability** **Develop** **Commercial Goods** **and Technology** **Promote** **Competition among** **Firms** **Identify Substitutable** **Military Goods /** **Substitute with** **Commercial Goods** **Economic Effects** **(Reduced Costs for** **Defense Budget[)]** In 2011, 1,243 out of the total 8,798 items in the military specifications list were substituted with commercial goods resulting in the annual cost savings of defense budget of more than 100.3 billion KRW. ----- **Enhancing the Efficiency of** **National Defense Resource** **Management** The MND is working hard to improve the efficiency of national defense resource management in order to respond to the changes in the future environment under the constraints of limited resources. As such, the MND is establishing an advanced consolidated military logistics system and developing a supply and transportation support system. Furthermore, the MND is establishing a consolidated maintenance support system utilizing private sector resources in order to ensure efficient management of combat equipment and improve the rate of operation. Moreover, efforts to centralize the military installation-related tasks and organizations of the respective Services into the Defense Installations Agency (DIA), and relocate and integrate military installations scattered throughout the country are being put forward. **1. Advanced Integrated Military Logistics System** The MND is exerting its efforts to establish a highly efficient integrated military logistics system to respond to the changes in the future environment including reductions in budget and a decrease in the number of eligible conscripts. The integrated military logistics system is established by integrating the supply support systems of the respective Services around the integrated logistic centers in each area. Establishing a one-stop support system[1] by consolidating the scattered supply, maintenance, and transportation facilities into a integrated logistics center is also planned. In order to minimize the size of the integrated logistics center, it will be maintained as a facility for essential military requirements during peacetime, while maximizing the use of national and civilian **Section** # 4 **1. One-Stop Support System** A customer-centered support system that batch-processes related support tasks from a single location. ----- logistics facilities during wartime. The center will be equipped with modernized and standardized facilities and equipment, and the establishment of additional systems, such as the integrated logistics information system and the automated field management system is being planned. Chart 8-10 depicts the overall concept of the establishment of the integrated logistics center. The MND plan to establish a speed-based logistics system which can rapidly provide munitions needed on the field based on regional integrated logistics centers. **Chart 8-10. Concept of Establishment of Integrated Logistics Center** **Integrated Logistics Center** Supply Integrated Logistics Supply Maintenance Transportation Army Navy Air Force Integrated Logistics Information System Automated Logistics Field Management System Depot Management System Modernization Standardization Information Technology Through these efforts, installation requirements, assets in stock, and manpower requirements are expected to be reduced. The MND is planning to implement a integrated logistics center pilot project to devise an optimal course of action, and expand its applications in the future. **2. Developing Supply and Transportation Support System** **| Supply | The MND has developed and supplied high-quality, multi-** functional uniforms and equipment in order to enhance the mobility, convenience, and survivability of service members. As a part of such effort, the ‘Project on Next Generation Defense Textile Development’ is ----- being executed in coordination with the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, and efforts to improve quality are being made by establishing a comprehensive development plan for uniforms and equipment. The new combat uniform was developed to provide greater mobility and convenience for service members by applying ergonomic design, to better fit the physique of service members by adjusting the measurement system, and to significantly enhance the effects of camouflage. The functional winter garment reflects cutting-edge civilian clothing technology, and has improved waterproof, sweat elimination, and heat preserving functions. The functional combat boots reflect an advanced shoe-manufacturing technology in order to maximize combat support and individual comfort. The boots have enhanced waterproof and sweat elimination functions through their use of high-quality leather and other materials. Moreover, by applying various civilian technologies, the boots are lighter and allow for greater mobility and convenience, which in turn resulted in greater satisfaction of service members. Individual equipment is being developed with the goal of ensuring enhanced individual combat execution capabilities and survivability by improving their functions, weight, and bulletproof capabilities. The new individual tent has a single-body, dome-like structure that has its main body and floor connected and has improved waterproof and camouflage functions. The new combat backpacks have, in addition to the main backpack, attack and supplemental backpacks that can be attached and/or detached depending on the types of operations and missions conducted. Other individual equipment currently under development include bulletproof uniforms, combat vests, combat glasses, and bulletproof helmets. As seen from the examples above, the efforts to improve the quality of uniforms and equipment have increased the combat execution capabilities and satisfaction of the service members. Moreover, issues that arose during the process of quality improvements and procurements are being closely analyzed in order to make the necessary improvements on the research and development, procurement, and supply system. In the future, the ROK military will continue to research and develop as well as expand the supply of uniforms and equipment tailored to the battle environment, and plans to collect service members’ opinions on those New Combat Uniform Functional Combat Boots New Individual Tent New Combat Backpack ----- uniforms and equipment that have already been improved in order to make any additional improvements on them as necessary. **| Transportation | The MND has been developing a defense transpor-** tation support system in order to effectively support combined and joint operations. This entails developing a transportation support system that can support the entire military by integrating the means of transportation support carried out by each Service, ensuring an appropriate level of transportation assets even during peacetime, and enhancing a tight civilian, government, and military transportation coordination system. For the development of a consolidated military transportation command system, the MND is planning to increase the utilization of the Defense Transportation Information System (DTIS). By using the DTIS, more efficient and rapid transportation support will be possible as it allows for integrated command and control over transportation assets of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, as well as real-time tracking of military personnel and cargo locations. Moreover, efforts will be exerted to ensure that an appropriate level of transportation assets is available for integrated military transportation support even during peacetime, by first identifying those transportation resources out of the integrated military transportation support list that cannot be, or are limited in being, replaced in a timely manner with civilian transportation resources. To this end, a National Defense Transportation Association (NDTA)[2] will be formed to establish a close civilian, government, and military coordination system even during peacetime, and ensure the timely use of civilian transportation capabilities during emergency situations. Meanwhile, the ROK military has introduced a commercial vehicle lease system, which leases commercial vehicles rather than purchasing and maintaining commercial vehicles. The lease system was first introduced by the MND Service Support Group in 2012, and is planned to be expanded, pending the performance assessment, to other support units that deal with administration, education and training. It is expected that this system will not only reduce vehicle-related costs, but also signifi cantly improve user satisfaction. **2. National Defense Transportation** **Association [(]NDTA[)]** Composed of experts from the government, military, and industry. Performs the role of efficiently linking the transportation related civilian, government, military, and academic basis in order to ensure the timely use of civilian transportation capabilities during wartime, peacetime, or contingency. ----- **3. Establishing Integrated Civilian, Government, and Mili-** **tary Maintenance Support System** Due to the advancements in defense science and technology, military weapons systems are becoming more cutting-edge, sophisticated, and complex. Maintaining both the conventional equipment and new cutting edge advanced equipment with the limited maintenance assets of the military is a challenging task. As such, for those weapons systems that have constraints in terms of establishing a maintenance support system, an integrated civilian, government, and military maintenance support systems capitalizing on private sector resources and government institutions are being developed. Moreover, in order to facilitate efficient combat equipment maintenance and a heightened rate of equipment operation, various efforts are being exerted to utilize private sector resources, such as the expansion of performance-based logistics (PBL[3]), establishment of a field maintenance support center, introduction of a spare parts prime vendor support system, operation of spare parts requirement analysis teams, and outsourcing of military maintenance depot. PBL is a system designed to maintain an efficient rate of equipment operation by having private firms, such as manufacturing companies, take responsibility for maintaining and supplying advanced equipment, and rewarding these firms based on their performance. An analysis on the PBL pilot program for the KT/A-1 aircraft proved that the PBL system reduces the procurement lead-time, increases the equipment operation rate, and lowers the inventory management costs. As such, the PBL system is being expanded to a variety of weapons systems including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and fighter jets. The plan to establish field maintenance support centers aims to attract commercial maintenance firms scattered around the country into designated areas within the field armies, thereby integrating these firms into field maintenance support centers. These centers will be constructed based on the cooperation among civilian, government, and military. Considerable improvements in field maintenance capabilities are expected from establishing maintenance centers out in the field which will allow for rapid maintenance. Chart 8-11 depicts the general concept of the plan. **3. Performance-based Logistics [(]PBL[)]** A system in which the Service that operates the equipment recommends the performance criteria such as target rate of operation; specialized companies perform maintenance and supply on those equipment; and the military funds the companies based on their performance. ----- **Chart 8-11. Management of Field Maintenance Support Center** **Current** **After Field Maintenance Support Plan Execution** Support Centers **Western** Scattered Field Maintenance Support Centers **Eastern** **Western** Consolidated Field Maintenance Centers by Areas **Depot Maintenance** **Depot Maintenance** **(Civilian+Military+Foreign)** **(Civilian+Military+Foreign)** **Depot Maintenance** **(Civilian+Military+Foreign)** **Depot Maintenance** **(Civilian+Military+Foreign)** **4. Prime Vendor Support System for** The prime vendor support system for spare parts[4] is a type of contract **Spare Parts** that is designed to increase the rate of equipment operation by selecting a A system in which a unit price contract is signed with a prime vendor who has prime vendor who has established a logistics network that ensures the established a logistics system. The supplier then provides supplies using supply of spare parts in a stable and economic manner. A legal foundation this logistics system as requested by the has been established through legislative initiatives for this system, and the users. The amount of payment is dependant on the reduction of system is expected to perform a major role in ensuring stable acquisition procurement lead-time and rate of of maintenance parts for key weapons systems in the future. Moreover, timely delivery. spare parts requirement analysis teams are established and operated in order to improve the accuracy of spare parts requirement estimates, optimize the inventory level, and determine the appropriate level of budget **5. Depot Maintenance** in consideration of rates of equipment operation, by forecasting spare parts Conducting disassembly, inspection, requirements, and developing inventory management and calculation repair, regeneration, remodeling, or production using special maintenance models. facilities, equipment, and tools when Moreover, the military is increasing the efficiency of depot such tasks surpass the capabilities of field maintenance. maintenance[5] across the Services by establishing a remote maintenance ----- support system[6] using high-speed information communication networks, hiring retired military maintenance depot personnel as temporary workers, and benchmarking competent civilian technology and management innovations to advance maintenance technology. **4. Establishment of Total Life Cycle System Management** **(TLCSM)** The MND has established a total life cycle system management (TLCSM) that efficiently and economically manages the total life cycle of military supplies through the earlier development, acquisition, operation and to disposal stages. In May 2011, the Comprehensive Action Plan on Total Life Cycle Management was established for policy development and institutionalization. First, organizational and legal foundations for TLCSM have been established. Through organizational restructuring, total life cycle management organizations were newly established under the office of the assistant chief of staff for logistics and in logistics commands of each Service. Moreover, the Force and Resources Management Steering Committee chaired by the Deputy Minister for Military Force and Resources Management was newly established as a consultative body to facilitate communication and to coordinate and control any conflicts or disagreements in opinions among the relevant organizations. Also, by revising the Act on the Management of Military Supplies and the Directive on National Defense Force Development Task, the legal basis for total life cycle management was established. Second, the standardized task execution system was re-established to integrate the types of military supplies with similar functions. Through this initiative, the types of military batteries were simplified from 43 to 22 types and the types of military generators from 52 to 13 types, and these simplified types have been designated as priority application items. In the future, the interoperability and compatibility of military supplies will be further enhanced by establishing and executing standardized execution plans from the early stages of acquisition. Third, depot maintenance and performance improvements that go **6. Remote Maintenance Support** Providing maintenance support or direct maintenance activities by establishing a video, voice, or text-based connection between operating and maintenance units via information communication systems such as satellite communications or by directly accessing certain remote systems. ----- through similar working processes such as disassembly and assembly are being integrated. In 2011, approximately 12.3 billion KRW was saved by integrating depot maintenance and performance upgrades for tracked vehicles such as tanks and armored vehicles. In addition, approximately 360.6 billion KRW is expected to be saved by 2026. By revising the Directive on National Defense Force Development Task and the Regulations on the Management of Defense Acquisition Program, the MND has institutionalized the integration of product improvement planning and depot maintenance cycle earlier than expected, and is reviewing the feasibility of expanding such integration initiatives beyond the Army equipment to include the Navy and Air Force equipment. Fourth, the Mid- to Long-term Comprehensive Development Plan on the National Defense Force Support System was established and task-execution-procedures were re-established by devising detailed annual project plans. In 2012, a force support system[7] research and development budget of five billion KRW was reflected in the budget for the first time, and provided the basis for the development and distribution of essential military supplies necessary for enhancing the combat strength of battalions and below. Moreover, a Life Cycle Sustainment Plan (LCSP) is being developed in order to replace the Integrated Logistics Support Plan,[8] previously established during the full scale development stage, to the total life cycle starting from the early stages of research and development. These efforts are expected to reduce the costs incurred during the total life cycle of key equipment and materials including weapons systems. **5. Establishing Efficient Military Installations Construction** **System** **| Consolidating Defense Installations-related Organizations | As of** 1 December 2011, the MND has consolidated the installations-related organizations of the Army, Navy, and Air Force into the Defense Instal lations Agency (DIA) directly under the MND, in order to centralize the military installations-related tasks. The size of the organization was also expanded from the previous two offices and ten branches, to one **7. Force Support System** A term that incorporates various elements other than weapons systems, such as equipment, parts, general facilities, resource management, and software infrastructure, that supports the continued maintenance of combat strength of service members and weapons systems which are the subject of combat execution. Previously called non-weapons system, the term was renamed as force support system on 1 January 2012. **8. Integrated Logistics Support Plan** **(ILS-P)** A comprehensive plan to guarantee integrated logistics support mission execution and systematic management. Included in the plan are integrated logistics support factors, missions to be accomplished for each acquisition stage, missions for the office of primary responsibility and the relevant offices, detailed plan and budget for mission accomplishment, test and evaluation, and logistics support analysis plan. ----- directorate, two offices, and seven branches, thereby enhancing the organizational capacity in order to execute all installations-related tasks of the military, and also perform research and development of military specific construction capabilities including the construction of chemical, biological, and radioactive-resistant facilities. Moreover, in accordance with the concept of localized support, the country was divided into six regions, and accordingly, six regional instal lation groups were established under the DIA. Each regional installation groups manage the installation projects of the local army, navy, and air force units and support the management of national assets. The role of each Service was adjusted so that they only submit requirement requests for ongoing installation projects. The consolidation of defense installation organizations will contribute to the building of a combat-oriented military by reducing the administrative burden of each of the Services and field units. Furthermore, the defense installation related budget is also expected to be executed in a more efficient manner due to the reorganization of the DIA into a more efficient and specialized organization. **| Establishment of the Defense Installation Integration Information** **System | The MND has established and is operating the Defense** Installation Integration Information System in order to efficiently execute defense installation related tasks. The Defense Installation Integration Information System aims to manage the defense installation assets during their installation life cycle[9] in an integrated manner. This system focused on the management of military real estate until 2009, but following a military-wide installations status investigation in 2010, it was expanded to incorporate the management of defense instal lation assets including buildings and other structures. As of late 2011, the information system is being used to manage installation assets, which amount to approximately 50 percent (76 trillion KRW) of the defense assets. Moreover, in order to increase efficiency, the MND plans to standardize military construction project management and introduce systematic and pragmatic management mechanisms, by adding the military construction management functions in the Defense Installations Information System in **9. Installation Life Cycle** Requirement Request Design Construction Maintenance and Management ----- 2012 for a more efficient management of military installation construction. **6. Efficient Execution of Military Installation Relocation** **Projects** The MND is consolidating and relocating military installations scattered around the country with the year 2030 set as the target year for completion in conjunction with the military structure reorganization plan of the Defense Reform Basic Plan. The relocation plans are established in consideration of various environ mental factors. First, the number of service members and units are expected to be reduced as a result of reorganization of military structures, which aims to transform the previously conventional military structure into an information and technology-intensive military structure. Second, the dispersed military installations are being considered as a hindrance to urban development with cities nearby continuing to expand. As such, when establishing relocation plans, the MND gives priority for the units in urban areas to be relocated to the suburbs if possible, and tries to minimize the requirements for purchasing new land by maximizing the use of military land. Moreover, efforts are exerted to forecast and manage any conflicts by considering the city planning of local governments. Third, while previous military installations were dispersed in small sizes to ensure adaptability and survivability of strong points, the development of early warning systems and unmanned security systems now allows for the consolidation of military installations. Relocation of military installations requires substantial resources. In order to minimize public burden, the MND plans to utilize the resources gained from selling its land that is no longer needed due to the relocation plans to purchase land and build installations. Increased efficiency in unit management and operations is expected from relocation of military installations. Moreover, by resolving civil appeals and conducting relocation in consideration with local development needs, more amiable relations with local governments, population, and military can be expected. ----- **Developing the Defense** **Economy in Support of the** **National Economy** The ROK government has continuously been promoting defense industries with the goal of strengthening self-reliant national defense capabilities. The defense industry has been a solid foundation in building a combat missionoriented advanced military. Moreover, the development of the defense industry is making substantial contributions not only to the advancement of science and technology, but also to the growth of the national economy in the form of technology transfer and creating jobs. **1. Contributing to the National Economy Through In-** **creased Export of Defense Industry** The defense industry adds to the national economy by creating employment and export, and provides important means of national security by supplying defense products to the military. Moreover, the advanced core technologies developed to fulfill the high functional requirements of the military has transferred to other technological areas through technological integration. This in turn supports the development of industries and the national economy. As such, the MND has been putting forward its efforts to promote the defense industries in order to not only acquire advanced capabilities, but also to facilitate the development of industries and the national economy. **Section** # 5 ----- **| Defense Industry Exports | The total defense industry exports in** 2011 amounted to 2.38 billion USD based on the approved export. Such outcome is twice that of 2010 which was 1.188 billion USD, and ten times that of 2006. Chart 8-12 shows the overall trend in export growth after 2005. **Chart 8-12. Defense Export, 2005-2011** **Unit: 100 million USD** 30 25 **23.82** 20 15 **11.66** **11.88** **10.31** 10 **8.45** 5 **2.62** **2.53** 0 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 The number of target export countries grew from 42 in 2005 to 84 in 2011, and the range of export items also changed from parts for ammunitions and maneuver, and aircraft equipment to fully manufactured items such as submarines and trainer aircraft. Chart 8-13 shows the list of export items and partner countries. **Chart 8-13. Export Items and Partner Countries, 2005-2011** |Year|Items|Country| |---|---|---| |2005|Aircraft parts, basic trainer aircraft, and ammunitions|US, Indonesia, and 40 other countries| |2006|Aircraft parts, K-9 artillery parts, and ammunitions|US, Turkey, and 45 other countries| |2007|KT-1 trainer aircraft and A-10 main wing production|Turkey, the Philippines, and 44 other countries| |2008|Next generation tank production technology, 155mm ammunitions parts, and K-9 artillery parts|US, Turkey, and 57 other countries| |2009|Commutations equipment, submarine depot maintenance, and submarine combat system|US, Iraq, and 72 other countries| |2010|Trainer ship, fighter jet engine, armored vehicle, and ammunitions|US, Malaysia, and 62 other counties| |2011|Submarine, T-50 trainer aircraft, fighter jet depot maintenance, armored vehicle parts, and ammunitions|US, Indonesia, and 82 other countries| ----- The increase in defense industry exports is also a result of active marketing efforts. In the October 2011 Seoul Aerospace and Defense Exhibition (ADEX), a total of 313 companies from 31 countries, and 105 key individuals from 52 countries participated. The efforts for overseas market development were also enhanced. In 2011, the ROK held a joint defense industry and logistics committee meeting with ten countries, and participated in twelve international exhibitions and conferences, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE) International Defense Exhibition and Conference (IDEX 2011). **| Defense Industry Support Policies | Between 2000 and 2007, the** global defense expenditures increased by approximately 50 percent, as the demand for smart weapons based on cutting-edge technologies, such as unmanned robots and aircraft, increased. However, with the 2008 global financial crisis, the defense budgets of developed countries were radically reduced. The national defense budget was reduced as spending increased to stimulate the economy, and as a result, the flow of resources into the defense industry also began to diminish. As the defense industry environment changed as outlined above, the competition among defense industry firms to increase their overseas market share has become even fiercer. Considering such circumstances, the ROK government has devised various policies and developed strategies to provide systematic support to the defense industry. First, the ROK government is working hard to boost the competitiveness of defense industry products and companies. For example, the government is guaranteeing the quality of products by awarding the Defense Quality (DQ) Certification Mark[1] for high-quality defense industry export products. Also, it is supporting the education and training of experts in the defense industry and facilitating meetings with chief executive officers (CEOs) in order to enhance the companies’ export capacity. In addition, the government is expanding financial support to small and medium-sized businesses for defense industry exports. Second, the government is developing defense industry export markets and promoting marketing activities. The ROK government has established a tailored export strategy, optimized to the demands of customer countries by region, and has been conducting market development activities in **1. Defense Quality [(]DQ[)] Certification** **Mark** Introduced in January 2012, the DQ Certification Mark aims to offer support for small and medium-sized businesses, which have high quality products but lack marketing capacities, by providing government-level quality assurances. ----- future effective markets in Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. Moreover, it has been facilitating high-level military exchanges and cooperation, such as the meetings with the foreign military attachés, and enhancing the foundations for a defense industry export market by promoting the Seoul ADEX as a world-class defense industry exhibition. Chart 8-14 shows the defense industry export strategies and partners by region. **Chart 8-14. Defense Industry Export Strategies and Targets by Region.** **Western Europe** **Eastern Europe** **Asia** Offset Trade, Joint Research Joint Production and Local Production, **North America** and Development, Financial Support, Technology Transfer, Offset Trade, Joint Research Maintenance Service, and Training Equipment, Ships, Armored Vehicles, and Development, Advanced Trainer Aircraft and Parts and Trainer Aircraft Maintenance Service, and Advanced Trainer Aircraft **Africa** **Middle East** **Central and South** Compensation Trade, Local Industrial Cooperation, **America** Production, Military Vehicles, Technology Transfer, Aircraft, Governmental Sales and and Combat Equipment Tanks, and Self-propelled Financial Support, Patrol Guns Ships, and Military Vehicles Third, the government is strengthening the industrial basis that supports the defense industry export. The development of national defense science and technology is a prerequisite for the competitiveness and systematic development of the defense industry. As such, the MND has been exerting efforts to increase the defense research and development capabilities and establish the foundations for future acquisition by expanding the level of investment in research and development from 6.6 percent of the defense budget in 2011 to 7.1 percent in 2012. Moreover, when partner countries request additional assurances for the stable implementation of the contract, the ROK government is operating the government-to-government (G2G)[2] sales support system in which the government mediates or supervises the export sales. Furthermore, in order to ensure the sustainability of weapons system **2. Government to Government [(]G2G[)]** **Sales Support System** A system in which the DAPA or Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) provides, mediates, or proctors the defense industry export transactions between domestic firm and the government of the partner country. ----- management, the government is putting forward efforts to institutionalize early on the Defense Exports Follow-up Logistics Support System,[3] which entails providing logistical support elements, such as materials, facilities, and personnel, to partner countries. Also, other efforts to enhance the industrial foundations in support of defense exports, including the development of Defense Export-Import Support Information System[4] in order to provide real-time defense industry trends and marketing information and facilitate information exchange among relevant offices, are being put forward. **2. Green Growth and Energy Conservation** **| Green Growth in National Defense | Facing global environmental** changes, including global warming and an energy crisis, the MND is pursuing a policy for Green Growth.[5] For the Green Growth in national defense, the MND established the Comprehensive National Defense Green Growth Implementation Plan in 2009 and actively pursued the development of green defense technology, reduction of greenhouse gases, and greener military barracks. First, the development of green defense technology is focused on 14 technologies in three areas, including the use of eco-friendly green energy technology in national defense,[6] weapons systems based on low-carbon future energy,[7] and military management and development based on modeling and simulation.[8] So far, a total of four technologies including the conversion of energy material from antiquated munitions, and military green bio composite material technology have been developed. Additionally 10 more, including submarine fuel batteries, and a high-maneuver hybrid propellant system for special mission vehicles, are under development. Second, in order to reduce greenhouse gas emission, efforts to establish and utilize a carbon management information system for military units,[9] replace light bulbs with LED lights, install and expand the distribution of low-carbon vehicles are taking place. In 2012, a carbon management information system for military units will be introduced to the entire military, and 30 percent of incandescent and fluorescent lights were **3. Defense Exports Follow-up** **Logistics Support System** A system that provides logistical materials, facilities, and personnel to customer countries at the government level for the maintenance and management of defense products exported by defense industry firms. **4. Defense Export-Import Support** **Information System [(]D4B[)]** An information system built with the aim of providing support to defense industry exports. One of the Business Competitiveness Support Systems selected as an electronic government support project of the Ministry of Public Administration and Security and developed jointly by three agencies: namely, the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, DAPA, and Small and Medium Business Administration. **5. Green Growth** A harmonious growth of economy and environment through the reduction of greenhouse gases and environmental pollution and creation of new growth source and employment using green technology and clean energy. **6. Eco-friendly Green Energy** **Technology in National Defense** Producing and storing eco-friendly energy such as solar energy and exploiting such energy in national defense. **7. Weapons Systems Based on** **Low-carbon Future Energy** Transitioning from previous weapons systems that rely on fossil fuel to systems that minimize carbon emission and environmental pollution. **8. Military Management and** **Development Based on Modeling and** **Simulation** Simulated training system, which minimizes energy consumption while simulating the same effect as a real military training. *[ Modeling and Simulation: Simulating ] and modeling real natural events using computers. ----- **9. Carbon Management Information** **System for Military Units** A system that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emission by analyzing the level of emission and setting reduction goals per unit. **10. New and Renewable Energy** Energy that converts the existing fossil fuels for use or utilizes renewable energy such as solar, water, and geothermal energy. Jeju Civilian-Military Complex Port replaced with LED lights. Moreover, by 2013, a total of 129 new and renewable energy[10] production facilities related to solar street-lights, solar-heated water, and geothermal heating and cooling will be installed, and 50 percent of office vehicles will be replaced with low-carbon vehicles such as electric or compact cars. Third, pursuing greener barracks means encouraging greener lifestyles of service members in the barracks. This involves emphasizing green growth education and training, natural environment protection, waste minimization, resource recycling, and increased use of bicycles. The use of fossil fuels in the military could lead to problems such as resource depletion, environmental pollution, and increased costs. In order to resolve these problems, the MND will continue to pursue green defense growth. Through such efforts, the MND plans to develop an advanced national development management system in which resources are recycled, the environment is protected, and national defense is strengthened. **| Eco-friendly Military Installations | When relocating to or building** new military installations, the MND is applying the concept of eco-friendly Green Growth to the equipment, facilities, and surrounding environment, from the planning stage to the final construction stage. In particular, this concept will be actively pursued during the construction of a civilian-military complex port. For the Jeju Civilian-Military Complex Port, solar and tidal electric generation will be used for energy sources, and waste water and material recycling construction techniques that use natural cyclical resources will be applied. **| Energy Conservation | The MND has been practicing energy** conservation by setting conservation goals per unit. For fuel consumption in particular, the goal is set to conserve 5 to 14 percent of the allocated fuel in consideration of the changes in fuel prices. Moreover, the MND has also been identifying and publicizing ideas that can help preserve energy during everyday tasks while guaranteeing the essential requirements for the sustainment of combat strength. Also, fuel-efficient education and training as well as video teleconference, including the integration of similar exercises and training, utilizing ----- simulation and scientific training equipment, and conducting cyber education, are actively being employed to conserve fuel. Energy conservation in national defense is being implemented in consid eration of government policies and the requirements of the military. The MND is monitoring the recommended indoor temperature and partici pating in the ‘one day of the week no vehicle’ initiative. Moreover, the MND is encouraging the conservation of water and electricity, efficient operation of equipment, and eco-friendly and economic driving. ----- **1 Military Housing constructed in August 2011, Pocheon,** Gyeonggi Province **2 Service members enjoying recreational activities in** their barracks after work hours **3 Service members reading during their leisure time for** self-development **4 A utility helicopter equipped with emergency medical** kits for prompt evacuation of military patients **5** _The Spring Concert by the Armed Forces Symphony_ Orchestra (MND, February 2012) |1|2| |---|---| |4|3| ||5| ----- ##### Chapter 9 **Improving Working** **Conditions for Service** **Members** Section 1 Improvements in Welfare Section 2 Modernization of Military Housing Section 3 Innovation in the Medical System Section 4 Advancement of Military Culture Section 5 Ensuring a Productive Working Environment 254 270 274 280 285 ----- **Improvements in Welfare** Military personnel welfare is a crucial factor in determining the quality of life and morale of service members and maintaining intangible combat power. The MND has established and is systematically implementing a comprehensive plan to improve the welfare of service members, and is strengthening various support measures for cadres who are retiring from the military and starting a new career. In addition, the MND provides military pension programs that reflect the unique characteristics of service members so that retired cadres are able to sustain a stable life after their service to the military. **1. Improving Welfare of Service Members** Based on the ‘Basic Act for Military Personnel Welfare,’ the MND confirmed the ‘Basic Plan for Military Personnel Welfare’[1] with a Presidential approval in April 2009 and presented a future vision for military welfare. Based on this plan, the MND has established a compre hensive welfare policy and is systematically implementing this policy. **Key Contents of the ‘Basic Plan for Military Personnel Welfare’: [(]4 Major Welfare Areas[)]** - Basic welfare: ensuring basic living conditions for service members so that they can concentrate on their military duties - Improvement in the salary and pension systems - Family welfare: alleviating the difficulties of military family members - Ensuring academic support for children of military personnel, providing age-appropriate welfare services - Advanced cultural welfare: realizing an enriched cultural life that matches social development. - Providing support for self-development and ensuring physical training conditions in all weather. - Welfare infrastructure: establishing an efficient welfare support system that meets the needs of service members. - Improved management of welfare facilities and welfare funds **Section** # 1 **1. ‘ Basic Plan for Military Personnel** **Welfare’** According to Article 6 of ‘the Basic Act for Military Personnel Welfare’ (effective as of March 1, 2008), the Minister of National Defense sets up a ‘Basic Plan for Military Personnel Welfare’ every five years and carries out consultations with the heads of central government ministries and agencies and receives final approval from the President. ----- **| Ensuring Basic Welfare | Military service members have unique** characteristics that are distinct from the regular workforce in society. First, service members are assigned with tasks to defend the nation and protect the lives and properties of the people during crisis, which requires them to risk their lives. Second, service members often confront difficulties in maintaining a stable family life because of requirements to maintain a seamless readiness posture, work in remote areas, and frequently relocate their houses. Third, most service members retire early when their living expenditure is at the highest level (i.e., ages 45-56).[2] Fourth, they are given limited job opportunities after retirement due to the limitations in utilizing the skills they attained through military service in society. The MND is currently engaged in close consultations with the relevant government ministries and the National Assembly to address such issues and reflect the unique characteristics of the service members in devising a military welfare policy. The following are the main topics being pursued. The MND is refining the military salary system so that the unique characteristics of military service, such as their ranks, duties and working environment are reflected in the salary system. In particular, the MND is exerting its efforts to raise the salary of career service members tantamount to that of conglomerates, and to expand various allowances to heighten the morale and passion of those service members who are serving under difficult conditions. In 2012, the MND newly introduced an additional incentive for NCOs serving in company-level or below combat units, and increased the air service allowances for cargo aircraft pilots. In addition, the MND increased the incentive pay for veterinary officers from 70,000 KRW to 150,000 KRW, which is the same amount that regular government employees receive. Lieutenant colonel level personnel serving in commanding officer positions or department heads have been receiving specific duty pay since 2009. However, the range of lieutenant colonels receiving this pay has been expanded to those serving in staff positions starting in 2012. Also, duty officers who are assigned to battalion level or below units are being paid service allowances since 2012. In addition, the MND plans to create new benefits, such as service member allowances, separated family allowances, and family college **2. Highest Level Expenditure Period** The period in which the household expenditure increases to the highest level due to child support and other living expenses associated with this period in life. ----- tuition allowances, and offer frontline area allowances, sea duty pay allowances, air crew allowances and hazardous duty allowances in consid eration of the risk of duty and stationed areas. The MND has improved the pay system for enlisted service members to meet the necessary expenses for their daily activities on and off post. To this end, the monthly salary for enlisted members has been increased to 97,500 KRW (corporal-level salary in 2012), and regular leave allowances have been increased by 20% as well. Also, the MND has increased hazardous-duty allowances and sea duty pay allowances to improve welfare conditions for those enlisted members who are under special circumstances as well as newly created vessel mobilization allowances. Aside from the efforts to make monthly salaries and allowances for enlisted members more realistic, the MND has been providing accident insurance service for service members during leaves and off post visits through the Nara-sarang card service[3] since March 2010, and the amount of insurance that can be received has been extended in July 2011 as well. In addition, through consultation with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, measures have been taken so that enlisted members who have to pay interests on student loans can defer these payments until completion of their military service. Especially, starting from 2012, for those enlisted members who received loans that can be redeemed after employment, the government is providing support to assist these service members in paying off the interest payments on this loan during their military service. **| Improve Family Welfare | Family welfare is an essential element for** the service members to maintain morale and devote themselves to their duties. Family welfare has been included and consistently developed as one of the four welfare areas in the first ‘Basic Plan for Military Personnel Welfare,’ which was established in 2009. Improving the housing conditions is an important element in military family welfare. Accordingly, the MND is strengthening its efforts to improve housing conditions for the officers and NCOs. Above all, the MND has been continuously improving the deteriorated housing facilities, and expanded its lease payment aid for officers and NCOs who are not yet able to move into the military housing. Since 2012, the MND has **3. Accident Insurance Service** An insurance service that provides up to 60 million KRW to active-duty personnel or switchover service members (conscripted police, combat police, conscripted fire fighters, prison guards working for the Ministry of Justice) in the event of injury or death while they are off post (for example, on leave or overnight passes). This insurance automatically becomes effective when they register the Nara-sarang card as the account into which their wages are paid. ----- increased its lease payment aid from 40-100 million KRW to 50-140 million KRW per household depending on the region. Moreover, considering that only around 30% of career service members are home-owners, the MND has been consistently improving its support plan to help career service members purchase their own homes. With the revision of ‘the Special Act Related to the Bogeumjari Housing Construction’ and its enforcement ordinance on 17 August 2010, service members who received special Bogeumjari housing benefits were partially exempted from being subjected to the compulsory move-in and mandatory residency policy. In addition, the ‘Rule of Housing Supply’ was revised on 25 August 2011 to enable service members, who have served in the military for more than 10 years, to submit housing applications for houses in all parts of the country including the capital area regardless of where they currently live.[4] Furthermore, the MND is making efforts to provide well-established family welfare support which will help service members maintain a harmonious balance between their workplace and home, and between work and leisure activities. In October 2008, the MND signed the ‘Agreement for Providing Professional Family Support Service to Service Members’ Families’ with the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Family Affairs and based on this agreement, is providing the Happiness Support Service for Service Members’ Families,[5] which links the local family support centers with the relevant local units nationwide, in order to support various cultural and educational programs and provide counseling services for military families. After conducting pilot projects of this service in 34 units from 2008 to 2009, this service has been expanded and is currently being provided to all units since 2010. On the other hand, to promote the birth rate of the military family members, the MND introduced the customized welfare system[6] in 2011 to provide approximately 1.5 million KRW as a cash award to the families that give birth to their third child or more. The MND is pursuing to expand the benefit to 3 million KRW starting in 2013. Additionally, in order to improve child care conditions, the MND has been annually acquiring child care facilities in conjunction with the military housing construction plan. At the same time, the MND is striving to transition military child care facilities, which are currently operated mainly by the private sector, into public facilities to provide a higher **4. Abolition of the Current Address** **Regulation for Submitting Housing** **Applications** ‘The Rule of Housing Supply’ set by the Ministry of Homeland and Maritime Affairs, which stipulates that one must reside in the same area as the housing construction in order to submit housing applications, was amended to allow military personnel to submit applications for houses in any area, regardless of their current address (August 25, 2011). This amendment was made in consideration of the unique characteristics of military service, which requires relocation every 1 or 2 years. **5. The Happiness Support Service for** **Service Members’ Families** A service that helps to prevent family conflicts by offering counseling services and educational and cultural programs. It also provides customized emergency services, such as babysitting and day-care services, for double-income families. **6. Customized Welfare System** A system that helps public officials choose the appropriate welfare benefits according to their preferences and needs within the given budget. ----- quality child care service. The annual plan for acquiring child care facilities is shown in Chart 9-1. **Chart 9-1. Annual Plan for Acquiring Child Care Facilities** **Unit: No. of facilities** |Type|Total|Current|Planned|Col5|Col6|Col7|Col8| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| ||||2012|2013|2014|2015|2016| |Total|9 9|19|31|17|8|23|1| In addition, a total of 12 dormitories in 10 cities have been provided for approximately 2,200 military children attending schools in different regions, while separated from their parents. The MND also has a plan to construct new dormitories that can accommodate 600 students in Wirye New Town. Career service members have long faced the challenge of providing quality education for their children as they frequently relocate and often work in small and remote areas. In consideration of such disadvantages in receiving education, approximately 450 military family children a year are allowed to take advantage of the Special Admissions Program for entering college. In 2010, the MND expanded the Special Admissions Program for military family children to include middle and high school admissions, and it has also offered college admission workshop tours and college entrance consulting services to ensure that more children from military families enjoy this benefit. In addition, in order to establish a stable educational environment for the military family children who frequently relocate due to the uniqueness of military service, the MND is providing support to military families by allowing their children to enter or transfer to elementary, middle, and high schools regardless of the student quota (up to 2%-5%). Since 1993, the Defense Scholarship (Hoguk Scholarship) has been offered to children of military personnel who are enrolled in colleges. It was revised and improved in 2010, and is now given to enrolled students based on their academic performance. Aside from this, the Armed Forces Welfare Agency awards congratulatory cash prizes to military children when they get accepted into college. ----- **| Advanced Cultural and Welfare Support | Physical and mental** strengths are essential elements for men and women in uniform to successfully carry out their duties and missions. The MND has actively provided support to meet the sporting and cultural needs of the service members as well as recreation and leisure activities through which they can recover from the fatigue caused by their working environment such as repetitive training, working in remote areas, and maintaining a readiness posture. Currently, military bases are short on standard sporting facilities and physical fitness equipment. Therefore, the MND plans to build indoor gymnasiums in every regiment-level unit as well as battalion-level sporting facilities in which sporting activities such as weight training, basketball, volleyball and other popular sports can be played. In addition, in order to help service members rejuvenate while they are on leave, the MND is pursuing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with private enterprises to grant military service members free admission to amusement parks as well as tickets to soccer and basketball games, and provide them with membership benefits to use private condominiums. The MND plans to gradually extend the complementary use of private welfare facilities and the enterprises to which membership benefits can be applied. **| Establishing an Efficient Welfare Infrastructure | In 2010, the** MND established the Armed Forces Welfare Group, integrating each welfare agency of the Army, Air Force, and the Navy, and re-established the management system of welfare facilities to provide additional welfare benefits to the service members by improving the management and environment of each type of facility. It has continued to improve the environment of the military post-exchanges (PX) and renovated the old condominiums in Hwajinpo and Daecheon as well as the Seogwipo hotel to improve leisure conditions for service members. In addition, military PXs have been established in remote areas so that service members and their families are no longer left out in enjoying these welfare benefits, and new construction and repair works on the unit’s welfare facilities are ongoing as well. In the future, the MND plans to enhance the welfare infrastructure for service members by improving military PX facilities and effectively executing welfare funds. MND-Everland Agreement on Free Admission for Service Members ----- **2. Improving the Support for Retiring Service Members** **Starting a New Career** **| New Career Support Policy Direction | To active service members** serving today, retired service members represent their future image. Providing national support for retiring service members to settle into the social workforce has a significant impact on the morale of active-duty service members, as well as strengthening the national defense capabilities. Accordingly, the MND and each military Service are making efforts to establish and implement a new career support policy that is systematic and effective. The new career support policy is being implemented in consideration of the number of years an applicant has served in the military. For service members who have served for more than 10 years, the MND has created job positions within the military as well as the public and private sectors to allow smooth job transition, while providing job transition support programs that are tailored to the applicants in order for the applicants to be competitive in the job market. For the short and mid-term service members, who served their mandatory service for less than 10 years, the MND offers basic employment education courses and front area education courses, and provides recruitment information. **| New career support education system | The MND is exerting its** efforts to provide new career support education in a systematic manner. It is strengthening the basic education courses for retiring service members and providing personalized education to enhance competi tiveness in the job market. In addition, the MND is reviewing an option to introduce the career counseling system for cadres to allow them to plan ahead for their careers. Strengthening new career basic courses The MND is reinforcing the new career basic courses to help retiring cadres relieve their anxieties towards the future. The MND is providing education programs for short-term cadres who are awaiting discharge from the military after serving in remote front-line areas. For the mid-term service members, a one week education program is provided at the MND Employment Support Center, and for those who cannot participate in this program, ----- three-day education courses are offered at the local employment centers under the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL). For the long-term service members, a two week education program is provided at the Korea Education and Research Institute for Patriots & Veterans. Currently, new career support education is mostly outsourced to the civilian sector. However, the MND plans to directly provide integrated education programs once the MND New Career Education and Research Institute (MNCERI, provisional name) is established in 2014. Currently, new career support education is mainly provided during specific education periods. When the construction of the MNCERI is completed, the MND will review the option of expanding the scope of the new career support education program by making the education courses such as life planning and self-development courses available even during military service. The current draft plan for the new career education system is shown in Chart 9-2, and its implementation will be confirmed once the verification process is completed. **Chart 9-2. New Career Support Education for Long-Term Service Members [(]Draft[)]** |Classifi- cation|During Military Service|Col3|Col4|Col5|New Career Support Education Period|Col7|After Retirement| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |Time Period|While in Service||2 years before retirement|18 months before retirement|1 year before retirement|1 year before retirement - retirement|After retirement| |Lead Agency|MND|MND, MOEL|MND|MND|MND|MND|Ministry of Patriots & Veterans Affairs (MPVA)| |Course Name|Self development education|Life planning|Career consulting|New Career Basic Education|Consulting / Management|Individual capacity building|Consulting + professional education| |Main Contents|Decided by each unit|1-2 days|1 day (6 times)|5 days|1 year|1 week - 32 weeks|1 week - 32 weeks| ||Online Support|Concerned Unit (Division level)|MNCERI|MNCERI|MNCERI|MNCERI|Korea Education and Research Institute for Patri- ots & Veterans| User-centric New Career Education The MND is providing various programs in order to enhance the competitiveness of retiring cadres. In particular, the MND has developed and applied tailored new career educational programs in coordination with other government agencies Basic Employment Courses for Mid-term Service Members (Mock Interviews at MND Employment Support Center) ----- such as the Ministry of Patriots and Veteran Affairs and Ministry of Employment and Labor. For such programs, the MND created 28 courses in 2011 including security guard instructor, legal administrator, personality education instructor, and psychological therapists. In 2012, the programs were expanded to 41 courses including security guard team leader, career consultant, job manager and FTA instructor. In the future, the MND will add and adjust the professional education courses by examining the employment trends of the enterprises and the job demands. Career Counseling System Two Years Prior to Retirement The MND plans to implement a phased career counseling program that will be provided for retiring cadres by private institutions two years prior to retirement to allow them to plan ahead for job transition. The career counseling services will be provided on trial for a select number of long-term service members who are not eligible for receiving pension, and it will be gradually expanded based on the results of the trial. The ongoing phased career counseling program is shown in Chart 9-3. **Chart 9-3. Three-phase Career Counseling Program** |Classification|Col2|Contents| |---|---|---| |Phase 1|Aptitude Comprehension|Understanding oneself by taking various diagnoses on one’s tendency, vocational interests and motivations| |Phase 2|Career Development|Focusing on career options and end-states based on one’s aptitude and career.| |Phase 3|Life Planning|Preparing for various domains of life to enhance the quality of life and plan for the second life with pride.| **| Expansion and Creation of Job Positions | The MND has** endeavored to create job positions in which retiring service members can employ their military specialties and experiences. However, the reality is that there are not enough job positions to meet the total demand. In 2011, 14,046 jobs were secured for long-term service members who have served over 10 years, but this is only 62% of the total 22,800 job positions that are in demand.[7] The status of the secured job positions is shown in Chart 9-4. **7. Calculating the demand of job** **positions [(]22,800[)]** This estimate considers the number of retiring service members who desire to be reemployed and the average years of reemployment. It was calculated by multiplying ‘the number of retiring service members by rank’ with ‘the number of rotation years’ and ‘the employment rate.’ ----- **Chart 9-4. Status of Secured Job Positions for Long-term [(]over 10 Years[)] Service Members in 2011** **Total Demand** **Shortage of job positions** **22,800 (100%)** **Secured job positions** **8,754 (38%)** **14,046 (62%)** These job positions are created for discharged service members with an abundance of military expertise and experience and they include contracted military civilian positions, full-time faculty positions in military educational institutions, and faculty positions at the security and military science departments in civilian colleges. For those who are highly experienced in military training, the MND has secured positions such as supervisors and control instructors at the Korea Combat Training Center; reservist ROTC instructors; and teaching positions at specialized high schools. Job positions outside of the military such as specialized security-related positions, in which a former service member’s military expertise can be utilized, are included. In the future, the MND will make government-wide efforts to continue expanding job opportunities to veterans in the public and private sectors in close cooperation with the relevant government ministries and organizations. The employment status of discharged long-term service members (as of 2011) is shown in Chart 9-5. **Chart 9-5. Employment Status of Long-term [(]over 10 Years[)] Service members [(]jobs offering** **four major insurances[)]** **Unit: Number of employed** 4,000 3,000 1,500 1,000 0 Retired service members Re-employed service members **4,230** **4,235** **3,611** **3,684** **3,411** **2,465** **2,323** **2,118** **2,147** **1,651** 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 *[ Retired service members: discharged within the year ]*[ Re-employed service members: employed as of 2011] ----- **| New Career Support System | The MND has been developing a** new career support system for retiring officers and NCOs in collabo ration with the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs. In January 2011, the MND revised the ‘Military Personnel Management Act Enforcement Ordinance’ to establish a legal basis for military officers who served for longer than the compulsory service period to be able to receive new career support. In February 2011, it revised the ‘MND Directive for Military Job Transfer Support’ to allow the 3-month overseas training program to be extended to the period of job transfer support education and enabled service members who are not able to complete their new career support education to use days off and after duty hours for additional education. In addition, the MND revised the ‘Act for Retiring Service Members Support’ in coordination with the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, which is the lead agency on this matter. With this, the MND plans to provide a new career support funds to service members serving a mid-term, and support counseling and education regarding employment and entrepreneurship for the discharged short-term service members. **| Other Employment Support Services | The MND, through the** MND Employment Support Center, has provided retiring service members with opportunities for employment and starting a business through employment counseling and tours of leading enterprises. For this, the MND has held an annual job fair in April for retiring service members, and an employment and recruiting event every month. In addition, through the online employment information system, it provides useful real-time services such as online counseling services as well as various types of information on job opportunities, new business start-ups and enterprises. The employment support procedure of the center is shown in Chart 9-6. In addition, the MND is also engaged in various advertizing activities through mass media such as inviting human resources (HR) managers at different companies to provide policy briefings and roundtable discussions; holding ROK Forces TV policy discussions; sending e-mails to the top executives of enterprises; airing and printing radio and Job Fair for Retiring Officers (Seoul Trade Exhibition and Convention) ----- newspaper ads to advertise the marketability of the retired service members. **Chart 9-6. Employment Support Procedures by MND Employment Support Center** Registration Information - Information Provisions **Recruiting Companies** - Job Information - Company Profile provision **MND Employment Support Center** **(Employment Information System)** **www.mndjob.or.kr** - Consulting Service / Recommendations - Network Management - Information Provisions **Job Seekers** - Registration by Job Seekers - Filling Out Resume Information **| Reintroduction of the Military Service Additional Point System |** The MND has reintroduced the Military Service Additional Point System to instill pride into the heart of retired service members who have faithfully served their duties and to compensate the loss of opportunities due to mandatory military service. The nation is obligated to provide appropriate compensation for the people who have faithfully served their duties and find ways to support them. The Military Service Additional Point System is a core system that compensates for the contributions made during military service and assists service members to adapt to society after being discharged. The previous system provided an extra five percent to the retired service members who served for more than two years when they took the employment tests. It was initially introduced in 1961 and abolished in accordance with the Decision on Unconstitutionality by the Constitutional Court in December 1999. Since then, negative results including the sense of victimization regarding the military service has become prevalent and the willingness to serve duties has decreased. At the 18[th] National Assembly, the Assembly members recognized such problems and proposed a legislation for the Additional Point System for Military Service, but it was not adopted. The contents, reflecting the purpose of the Decision on Unconstitutionality in 1999, included providing additional points within 2.5% of the individual score, limiting the ratio of points receiving individuals being accepted to amount to 20% of the total accepted, and restricting the period or number of times for receiving additional point benefits. The MND will prepare a reasonable ----- measure and closely consult with the concerned ministries, and endeavor to reintroduce the Additional Point System for Military Service by sufficiently gathering public opinion and forming a consensus among the public. **3. Military Pension System Reflecting the Uniqueness of** **Military Service** The military pension system has been introduced to contribute to a stable living condition and enhanced welfare of the career service members by compensating them or their families if career service members retire after their faithful service period; retire or die due to physical or mental problems; or receive medical treatment due to diseases or injuries received while on duty. During the early stage of introduction, the military pension system was operated as a part of the Government Employees Pension System.[8] However, since 1963, it has been independently operated and separated from the Government Employees Pension System to enhance the military’s morale and welfare, and reflect the uniqueness of military service. **| Characteristics of the military pension system | Service members** work under harsh conditions while having to risk their lives, and they retire early due to the short age limit, usually between 45-56 when expenditure is at an all-time high. The military pension reflecting such distinct characteristics of military service is intended to provide social insurance and livelihood security as well as compensation for their national services. The military pension plays a crucial role in encouraging service members to focus on their duties without having to worry about their lives after retirement while enduring the harsh work conditions. In particular, the military pension can also be seen as a national security expense that is necessary to secure a capable workforce in the military. Considering such characteristics, the developed countries have also operated military pension systems separately from their government employee pensions. They also provide more preferential benefits to the **8. Operated as part of the Government** **Employee Pension Act** The Government Employee Pension Act regulates the overall contents regarding the government employee pension, while independently distinguishing the chapter on military personnel as Chapter 4 and regulating calculations of the contribution payment and the period of service differently from general government officials (enacted in January 1960) ----- military pension in terms of starting age, contribution ratio and payment level compared to other public pension programs. The comparison of military pension systems by country is shown in Chart 9-7. **Chart 9-7. Comparison of Military and Public Pension Systems in Major Countries** |Classification|Col2|UK|Germany|U.S.|Australia|Italy|France|ROK| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |Military Personnel|Retirement Age|55|53−61|40−60|55|40−60|45−58|45−56| ||Age for Initial Pension Payment|55|Retirement Age Reached|Upon Being Discharged|55|60|Upon Being Discharged|Upon Being Discharged| ||Individual / Governmental Contribution Ratio(%)|0/Entire Amount|0/Entire Amount|0/Entire Amount|0/Entire Amount|8.8/24.2|7.85/ Shortage of Pension N/A|8.5/8.5| ||Maximum Payment Rate(%)9|5710|72|100|80|90|80|76*| |Government Employees|Retirement Age|65|60−65|x|x|60−65|65−70|60| ||Age for Initial Pension Payment|60|Retirement Age Reached|60|55|60|60|60−65| ||Individual / Governmental Contribution Ratio(%)|3.5/ Shortage of Pension N/A|0/Entire Amount|0.8/0.8|2−10/ Shortage of Pension N/A|8.8/24.2|7.85/ Shortage of Pension N/A|7.0/7.0| ||Maximum Payment Rate(%)|75|72|80|70|80|80|62.7*| *[ In the ROK, the military pension is based on monthly salary and the government employee pension is based on ] standard monthly payment (1.5 times of the monthly salary). **| Efforts to Stabilize the Financial Status | The first military pension** recipients appeared in 1961, during the early stage of introduction, and since the military pension program was not able to secure enough funding, most of the pension payments have been supplemented by the national budget. There was not enough funding because of the contri bution payment exemption made twice during the service year prior to 1959 when the pension system was nonexistent[11] and going through the Korean and Vietnam Wars. Military pension recipients and payments by year are shown in Chart 9-8. **9. Maximum Payment Rate** A maximum payment rate sets the limit on the maximum amount of pension to be paid and it is calculated with the maximum service period that can be accredited for the pension. The total amount of pension is calculated by multiplying ‘base pay’ by ‘payment rate.’ **10. Maximum Payment Rate of the** **United Kingdom [(]UK[)]** In case of the UK, the standard pay of military personnel accredited for pension is higher than the government officials (combat/technique allowances included). Therefore, the total amount of pension to be paid is similar to, or even higher than that of the government employees. **11. Addition of Combat Experience** **Period** The combat period is calculated as three times the regular service period, and contribution payment is exempted for twice the combat period. (Military Personnel Pension Act, Article 36, Clause 3) ----- **Chart 9-8. Military pension recipients and the payments by year** |Classification|1963|1973|1980|1990|2000|2010|2011| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |No. of Pension Recipients|354|11,004|24,722|39,900|55,418|75,677|78,103| |Payment (KRW 100 million)|7|88|682|3,906|10,431|22,068|23,140| |Government supplement fund (KRW 100 million)|0|3|416|2,715|4,569|10,562|12,266| In order to stabilize the military pension budget, the MND has consis tently improved the system in line with the reform direction of other public pensions such as increased contribution funding, introduction of the income assessment system, and revision of the pension estimation standards. The MND is currently revising the Military Service Members Pension Act to include an increased contribution payment. In addition, the MND is also making efforts to increase the Military Pension Fund and generate more revenues. Since 2011, the MND has entrusted the surplus funds to the Pension and Funds Investment Pool,[12] which is a professional fund management agency, in a bid to enhance the professionalism and effectiveness in fund management. **| Enhancing the Efficiency of the Pension Payment System | The** MND is making efforts to enhance customer satisfaction and adminis trative efficiency by making precise payments and connecting the work process between the MND and administrative agencies. In the past, service members who served for less than 19 years and 6 months were not eligible for a military pension but a lump sum allowance. However, since August 2009, with the introduction of the ‘System Interconnecting the Accumulated Periods among Public Pensions,’ they have also been able to receive pensions through its integration with the national pension. The MND has expanded the applicants for integrated pension by providing guidance on the integrated system to the majority of short-term discharged service members who are eligible for integrating public pensions. The MND expects that implementation of the system will contribute to ensuring the stable aged-life for short-term service members. The establishment of the MND Financial Management Corps, which **12. The Pension and Funds Investment** **Pool** A system entrusted to the professional Asset Management Company to be operated by integrating the surplus budget of each pension and funds for effectively operating the pension and funds (led by the Ministry of Strategy and Finance) ----- was established on 1 February 2012, has enabled more professional and effective work performance as the retirement payment duties, which had been distributed to the finance corps of each Service, have been integrated to the MND Financial Management Corps. In addition, the MND plans to make efforts to enhance the convenience of pension recipients by enabling various types of certificate issuances as well as customer services through the online military pension website (http://www.mps.go.kr) and the window for customer service in the community center. ----- **Modernization of Military** **Housing** The MND has gradually improved the obsolete and confined housing to reflect a growing trend of social development as well as enhancement of living standards and public expectations. Particularly, to create a convenient living environment for service members, it has designated the modernization project for barracks, military housing and officers’ quarters as a major task to be implemented. By doing so, the MND is creating a more attractive and beneficial image of the military. **1. Upgrade to Modern Barracks** The MND is refurbishing the military barracks to ensure a convenient living environment for the new-generation service members by removing the gap between the growing environment to which they were previously accustomed and the military living environment in which they are currently living. The project for military barracks modernization is being carried out in phases based on the Unit Relocation & Integration Plan. During Phase 1 (2003-2009) of the project, the obsolete and confined military barracks in the front and remote areas constructed prior to 1982 were first improved. During Phase 2 (2010-2012), the barracks constructed after 1983 were renovated and expanded. In detail, the living area per person was expanded from 2.3m[2] to 6.3m[2], and a platoon-sized, floor-type room is being replaced with a squad-sized, bed-type room. In addition, convenience facilities such as cyber knowledge information rooms, fitness centers, and common rooms have been established and female-only facilities were added as well. The development progress and changes to military barracks are shown in Chart 9-9. **Section** # 2 Barracks at the Navy Education & Training Command 9[th] Division Medical Detachment ----- **Chart 9-9. Development Progress and Change of Military Barracks [(]Before and After[)]** **Before 1960** **1960−1970** **1970−1982** **1983−2003** **After 2004** Tents/ Type A barracks Integrated Modernized Barracks (Rahmen quonsets (Block structure, barracks (Rahmen barracks (Rahmen structure, pitched slate roof) structure, flat structure, pitched roof) - Platoon-sized roof) roof) - Squad-sized rooms - 2 squads to 1 - 1 to 2 squads rooms platoon - Floor-type - Bed-type - Convenience - Female-only facilities facilities Type A Barracks Constructed during 1960-1970 Modern Barracks Constructed After 2004 In 2011, the MND invested 746 billion KRW to improve barracks in 51 Army battalions and 159 barracks in the Navy and the Air Force. In 2009, it completed the refurbishment of 275 buildings in the General Outpost (GOP), and sea and river shore areas. Apart from this, it invested 2.1278 trillion KRW to carry out Build-Transfer-Lease (BTL)[1] projects for constructing Army barracks for 188 battalions as well as 138 Navy and Air Force barracks. As such, the MND is carrying out its modernization project for barracks by employing both government and private finances. From 2003 to 2011, it invested 6.6382 trillion KRW to improve total of 623 battalions and 1,758 buildings, and in 2012, it invested an additional 637.4 billion KRW to improve 43 battalions and 85 buildings. **Chart 9-10. Modernization Project Progress [(]as of December 2011[)]** **Demand and Completed** **1. BTL** A business model by which a private business builds a facility, transfers the ownership and leases the facility to the government upon the completion of its construction to recover invested capital. A Barrack Room in 12[th] Division/ Engineering Battalion Air Force 16[th] Fighter Wing Barrack |Type|Total Demand|Completed|Col4|Col5|Col6|2012 Plan|Col8| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |||Sum|Funded|BTL|Others|Funded|Others| |Army Barracks (battalion)|666|623|351|188|84|27|16| |Navy/Air Force Barracks (building)|886|801|591|138|72|85|-| |GOP/Sea and River Shore (building)|957|957|957|-|-|-|-| ----- **Invested** |Type|Col2|Total Demand|Until 2003|2004−2010|2011−2012| |---|---|---|---|---|---| |Total||76,491|700|59,941|15,850| |Army Barracks|Funded|37,228|-|26,412|10,816| ||BTL|17,023|-|17,023|-| |Navy/Air Force Barracks|Funded|13,432|-|8,398|5,034| ||BTL|4,360|-|4,360|-| |GOP/Sea and River Shore|Funded|4,448|700|3,748|-| **2. Modernization of Officer and NCO Housing** **Unit: KRW 100 million** To reflect a growing trend of social development as well as enhancement of living standards and public expectations, the MND has improved the obsolete and confined housing for officers and NCOs to meet with the average living standard of the citizens and to instill pride into the hearts of the officers and NCOs who are playing a leading role in our military. **| Military Housing | The MND implemented a plan to improve the** obsolete and confined military housing to the average living standard by 2012 through expansion of the floor area per household to 80-126 m[2]. In addition, it is employing both government-funded and private-financed project models to facilitate the early improvement process. In doing so, the MND attempts to break away from the previous policy that relied heavily on construction to secure housing, and flexibly cope with the variable circumstances such as the military organizational reform by expanding the purchase of apartments and support for lease funding. In 2011, it invested 48.4 billion KRW to improve 748 units and thereby completed improvement works for 71,524 units in total, which amounts to 99% of the total demand. The current status of military residence improvement is shown in Chart 9-11. In the future, the MND will continue to put efforts to modernize military housing as more housing will become obsolete and more officers and Aerial View Drawing of Yong-in Military Housing NCOs will be recruited due to the military organizational reform. ----- **Chart 9-11. Current Status of Military Residence Improvement [(]as of December 2011[)]** **Demand and Completed** **Unit: Household** |Total Demand*|Completed|Col3|Col4|Col5|Col6|Completed (%)| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| ||Sub-total|Constructed|Purchased|Leased|BTL|| |71,891|71,524|33,273|11,966|4,504|21,781|99.5%| *[ Total demand estimated in consideration of the total quota for officers in 2012] **Invested** **Unit: KRW 100 million** |Type|Total Demand|until 2003|2004−2010|2011−2012| |---|---|---|---|---| |Total|57,958|27,847|28,936|1,175| |Constructed|22,186|20,201|1,275|710| |Purchased|10,145|6,794|3,351|-| |Leased|2,328|852|1,011|465| |BTL|23,299|-|23,299|-| **| Quarters for Officers and NCOs | The MND plans to secure** 111,446 officers’ quarters by 2012 considering the increased number of entry-level officers and NCOs based on the military organizational reform. Along with the new construction of officers and NCO quarters, the MND also plans to renovate the confined quarters (less than 49.5 m[2]). Newly constructed quarters will have single bedrooms (23.1m[2]) to allow officers and NCOs to have adequate personal space. In 2011, it invested 262.8 billion KRW to secure 5,182 quarters and thereby completed improvement works for 102,878 quarters, 92.3% of the total demand. The current status of improvements made to officers’ quarters is shown in Chart 9-12. **Chart 9-12. Current Status of Officers’ Quarters Improvement [(]as of December 2011[)]** **Demand and Completed** |Col1|Col2|Col3|Col4|Col5|Unit: Quarter| |---|---|---|---|---|---| |Total Demand|Completed||||Completed (%)| ||Sub-total|Constructed|Renovated|BTL|| |111,446|102,878|69,288|12,840|20,750|92.3%| **Invested** **Unit: KRW 100 million** Townhouse-type Officers’ Quarters (11[th] Brigade) Apartment-type Officers’ Quarters (2[nd] Operations Command) |Type|Total Demand|Until 2003|2004−2010|2011−2012| |---|---|---|---|---| |Total|35,333|12,551|17,086|5,696| |Constructed|23,504|12,551|6,797|4,156| |Renovated|3,589|-|2,049|1,540| |BTL|8,240|-|8,240|-| ----- **Innovation in the Medical** **System** The MND has improved the military medical system in an effort to enhance the health of service members and improve their combat readiness. In particular, in the wake of a traumatic death in which a trainee died of meningitis at the Army Training Center in April 2011, it has taken a series of measures to significantly improve its medical system. As a result, the ‘20122016 Military Medical System Improvement Plan’ was developed by the civilian-military joint committee focusing on reinforcing the prevention system, improving service members’ accessibility to treatment, expanding medical capabilities of the division-level or below units and strengthening cooperation with the civilian sector. Through this plan, the MND is making every effort to realize a military medical system that is easily accessible and reliable for our service members. **1. Strengthening the Disease Prevention System** In the past, the military medical system had mainly focused on treatment rather than prevention, therefore leading to recurrences of infectious diseases within the military. To avoid such trials and errors, the MND is implementing the following policies to focus on strengthening the system for disease prevention. **| Expanded Vaccination Programs | The previous vaccination** program covered only seven diseases, including hepatitis A and malaria. Since 2012, a vaccine for meningitis, which has a high fatality rate, was newly added to the list, expanding the total coverage to eight diseases. In addition to the vaccination program for medical and food-handling personnel, the types of vaccines for all service members were expanded as well to cover a total of four disease including meningitis, epidemic **Section** # 3 ----- parotitis, and influenza, in addition to tetanus, which was already covered by the previous program. **| Hygienic Barrack Environment Focused on Prevention | For** trainees who are especially vulnerable to infectious diseases, personal hygienic items such as masks and hand sanitizers have been stocked to meet the demand. Through the expansion of shower facilities and laundry rooms, the MND is creating a more pleasant and hygienic environment at the training centers. In addition, the Office of Prevention Medicine was newly established within the Army Training Center, the largest training facility in the entire military, to improve the hygienic environment of the training center and carry out prevention of infectious diseases. **| Strengthened Capabilities for Military Medical Researches | To** date, due to the lack of infrastructure for conducting researches in the medical field unique to the military such as infectious diseases in the military and chemical, biological and radiological (CBR) warfare, there have been shortcomings in developing medical policies suitable for the military environment. To address this issue, the MND designated the Armed Forces Medical Research Center, previously under the command of the Armed Forces Medical Command, as a Military Executive Agency in January 2012 to promote autonomy and accountability in conducting medical research. In addition, a civilian expert on infectious diseases was selected as the head of the research center in an effort to transform the organization into a more research-oriented medical center. **2. Accessibility of Treatment for Service Members** To allow easy access to medical services, the MND has arranged various programs for service members. **| Health Counseling for New Recruits | For new recruits, individual** health counseling with a battalion-level surgeon is now required to identify any disease at early stages. The counseling service is provided to Military Medical Research Seminar at the Armed Forces Medical Research Center Individual Health Counseling Service for New Recruits ----- new recruits on two occasions; first during the initial group training for new recruits and second as required or as necessary. After being counseled by a surgeon, a new recruit is provided with treatment service as necessary or may request access to higher-level medical institutions for further treatment. **| Medical Education Program for Supervisors | It is most important** to draw the interest of supervisors in order to allow service members to easily gain access to medical services. To raise the awareness of the commanders on medical matters, the MND, through the Armed Forces Medical School, provides medical education programs to officers enrolled in Command Management Programs at the Army, Navy, Air Force Colleges to become familiar with proper measures that are necessary in case of a patient occurrence. **| Improvements to Education and Training Guidelines for New** **Recruits | In the past, new recruits showed a tendency of refusing** treatment in fear of receiving penalty points for not fulfilling the required training hours, which often led to aggravation of the condition. To address such issues, the MND has revised the penalty guidelines for new recruits to create favorable conditions for receiving adequate treatment. For example, the previous guidelines of the Army stipulated that non-fulfillment of 40 training hours was subject to a failure in training. However, the Education and Training Guidelines for New Recruits have now been revised to flexibly allow a maximum of 80 hours of non-fulfillment in consideration of average admitted hours for each type of illness. **| Remote Treatment Services in Rural and Isolated Areas | Units** with geographical and environmental disadvantages such as GOPs are limited in receiving timely medical treatment. To improve such conditions, the MND is implementing a pilot project for providing remote treatment service utilizing Internet Protocol Television (IPTV)[1] technologies. The areas subject to receiving remote treatment are those with inclement weather conditions such as fogs, heavy snow and rain or with limited access to medical service. In order for the service members Remote Treatment Project at 21[st] Division GOP Battalion (February, 2012) **1. Internet Protocol Television [(]IPTV[)]** A multimedia system that allows users to receive multimedia contents such as data and video on their TV sets using the Internet protocol suite (two-way) over Broadband Integrated Service Digital Network. ----- in those areas to receive the same treatment as the professional treatment service provided at the division-level medical detachments, the MND is procuring equipment necessary to treat patients in remote areas. In particular, it is establishing a system in which patient information such as vital signs, electrocardiogram (ECG), oxygen saturation, electronic stethoscope data and medical images can be transmitted in real time to medical specialists at the division-level medical detachments. Currently, this project is being partially carried out in some units of the Army and the Air Force, but it will be reviewed in the future whether to further expand the areas of operation based on the results of the pilot project. **| Shuttle Bus Service for Treatment | To make personal treatment** more accessible for the service members, civilian-contracted shuttle buses run regularly to military hospitals with flexible schedules, allowing service members to receive medical service whenever they need. Since November 2011, the shuttle bus service has been provided on a trial basis between Goyang Army Hospital and the First Corps areas and between the Hongcheon Army Hospital and the Third Corps areas. It is scheduled to expand the area of operations to cover six front corps starting in the second half of 2013. **| Medical Check-up for Corporals | The medical check-up service for** Corporals provides medical examinations complying with the standards of national health insurance to Corporal-level service members who are in the mid-point of their mandatory service in order to allow them to maintain their health during the service period and return to the society after completion of their service. In 2012, the Army implemented this project on a trial basis for its nine front divisions and ten rear divisions, and the Navy and the Air Force have done so for their entire forces. With the revision of the Act on Military Health and Medical Services, the project is expected to be expanded in full-scale in 2013. Shuttle Bus Service to Military Hospitals ----- **3. Expanding Medical Capabilities for Division-level or Below** **Units** The MND has discarded the three-step treatment system (battalion regiment-division), which was previously the most commonly used process by service members when receiving treatment, and streamlined the process to be two process (battalion or regiment-division) to allow more prompt treatment. Battalion and regiment-level medical offices now focus on strengthening capabilities for identifying patients and providing first aid. In order to create an environment in which surgeons can fully concentrate on treatment, the ‘Directive on Armed Forces Medical Mission’ was issued. In addition, emergency medical technicians were staffed to facilitate treatment and evacuation of patients in case of an emergency. Moreover, essential medical equipment such as stethoscope, oxygen saturation monitoring devices and automatic cardioverters were newly stocked. The new recruit training centers and front units such as GOPs, where there is a high demand for medical support will be reinforced and staffed with more medical personnel. As for the division-level medical detachments, more medical personnel such as internists, orthopedists and dentists have been staffed to expand the area of treatment to cover from medical examination to rehabilitation. By 2016, a total of 200 surgeons will be reinforced in stages to complete the treatment process at the division level. Also, more medical NCOs such as nurses, dental hygienists, physical therapists and emergency rescue technicians who are certified in their respective specialties will be recruited to further strengthen the medical capabilities of division-level medical detachments. **4. Strengthening the Network with the Private Sector** While recognizing the need for cooperation with the civilian entities in order to advance the military medical system, the MND is carrying out the following tasks. ----- **| Strengthened Cooperation with Private Hospitals | The MND is** pursuing separate approaches in cooperating with private hospitals for the Armed Forces Capital Hospital and other military hospitals. First, the Armed Forces Capital Hospital, as the highest-level hospital in the military, is enhancing its expertise and overall capabilities by cooperating with top-class university hospitals. To this end, the MND signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Seoul National University Hospital in April 2012, laying the groundwork for cooperation on education and exchange of medical personnel. Especially, with Operation Dawn of Gulf of Aden in 2011 during which Captain Seok Hae-gyun suffered gun wounds, a need for the military to provide trauma therapy has been raised. Accordingly, the MND plans to establish the Armed Forces Major Trauma Center within the Armed Forces Capital Hospital by 2014 in partnership with a private hospital. Likewise, other military hospitals have plans to enhance their medical capabilities by establishing a network for co-treatment with university hospitals in their respective regions. In addition, all military hospitals have started to operate treatment cooperation centers since 2012 to ensure prompt treatment for civilians. **| Cooperation on Military Emergency Medical System | To** strengthen capabilities for providing on the scene first aid, the MND is improving the military emergency medical system in a way that makes the best use of civilian capabilities. Particularly, it is establishing a system that utilizes civilian infrastructures such as 119 Emergency Service to mitigate the problem of delayed dispatch in case of an emergency taking place during vulnerable hours. To this end, the MND signed the MOU on Establishment of Emergency Medical System with National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in January 2012 in efforts to strengthen cooperation on information sharing and emergency evacuation between the regional medical units and 119 Emergency Service. In addition, with the support of professional agencies such as 119 Emergency Service and the Korean Red Cross, the MND is expanding its education programs that are tailored to the needs of the service members and aimed at enhancing their first-aid capabilities. MOU on Medical Cooperation between the MND and Seoul National University Hospital (MND, April 2012) CPR Training Provided by NEMA (MND, April 2012) ----- **Advancement of Military** **Culture** In the military, continued tension after work hours, a lack of comforting rest, and unsatisfactory welfare in addition to on-the-job stress have been the causes of deteriorating combat power. In response, the MND has set the goal of ‘establishing combat-oriented military’ that the Korean people trust and love. It is actively advancing a barrack culture that fosters individual autonomy, responsibility, and communication. Advancing the barracks culture refers to actively improving training and education, barracks life, and the welfare environment in order to generate combat power by promoting a positive service attitude and barracks life. **1. Promoting an Advanced Barracks Life** The MND is fostering a motivating work environment for its service members and a barrack atmosphere abound with ‘mutual respect and consideration’ through establishing a barrack culture of individual autonomy, responsibility, and communication. Based on these, the MND is actively pursuing to advance the barracks culture to realize the goal of establishing combat-oriented military. First, in order to instill pride and unity in carrying out military service and realize a dynamic barracks life, the MND is enhancing the unit spirit based on the unit’s history and tradition. In addition, the MND is fostering a unit culture that is both full of life and high morale by realizing a barracks life filled with vibrant energy and heightened awareness of combat missions and by instilling the basic discipline in each service member. In order to eliminate abuses and wrongful customs that originated from incorrect practices, and to embody barracks atmosphere filled with mutual respect and consideration, the MND instituted and has enforced ‘Barracks **Section** # 4 ----- Life Code of Conduct’ since 2011. Moreover, in order to eradicate verbal abuses and to make use of refined words in daily life, the MND has developed and is executing the ‘Barracks Language Education Program,’ using media such as visual education materials. In addition, in order to guarantee sufficient rest for service members, the MND is devoting efforts to secure an autonomous barrack life by putting measures in place such as applying improved daily schedules and allowing service members to share the dorms with their classmates. Furthermore, by expanding chances for day passes and overnight leaves, the MND is providing a satisfactory work environment in which service members can fully devote themselves to training and exercises. Also, to promote communications among the ranks in the barracks, all service members including the commander are participating in various team building events. **2. Improving the Accident Prevention System** The MND operates various accident prevention programs in order to prevent accidents that involve human lives and to lay a solid foundation for establishing a combat-oriented military by stable force management. As one of the measures for better identifying service members who need special care, the MND has executed a ‘new personality test’ in four steps, which is developed to reflect the ROK Armed Forces’ unique character istics. The personality test has been used with the newly assigned enlisted members below staff sergeants since 2009. It was subsequently expanded to be used at physical exams for conscription and for incoming trainees since 2010. Since 2011, the MND has added personality tests designed for officers, NCOs, and trainees. The MND is producing 600 new suicide-prevention officers at battalion level to act as ‘suicide prevention guardians.’ In 2012, the MND enhanced suicide prevention activities by hosting suicide prevention seminars and drafting comprehensive prevention measures. The number of barracks-life expert counselors increased from 95 in 2011 to 159 in 2012 to increase counseling opportunities for all service members. Also, the MND commenced the ‘Armed Forces Life Line’ Armed Forces Life Line ----- program in December 2011 that has expert counselors on 24-hour standby and online counseling services. The ‘Green Camp,’ designed to assist the service members having trouble transitioning into service, was transformed from a division-level program to a corps-level one. Through this change, the MND was able to bolster the program’s efficacy by using civilian counselors. Furthermore, in order to improve the ability to manage and execute necessary measures regarding the service members unfit for service, the MND is operating the ‘Military Service Fitness Evaluation Board.’ The ROK Army conducted four boards since 2009, the Air Force one board since April 2010, and the Navy and Marine Corps one board each since October 2011. **3. Improving the Individual Rights of Service Members** In recognition of the progress in individual rights in society, the MND is also restructuring ordinances and systems and strengthening necessary educational processes in order to improve the individual rights of service members. In addition, the MND is distributing individual-rights education materials made in easy-to-access formats, such as movies and cartoons, to inspire the sense of individual rights in our service members. **| Refining the Laws and Regulations Related to Individual Rights |** In July 2011, the MND instituted the ‘Armed Forces Individual Rights Operations Directive’ that specified the necessary issues to conduct individual rights tasks, such as individual rights counseling and current condition survey, and investigations into individual rights violation incidents. As the individual rights education system shifted from being conducted in schools to unit-level training starting in January 2012, the MND revised the ‘Armed Forces Individual Rights Operations Directive’ in February 2012. The directive made it mandatory for unit commanders to complete online individual rights education courses in order to cultivate individual rights awareness and inform them of systems and knowledge related to individual rights. On the other hand, in order to protect the individual The Green Camp (Music Therapy) ----- rights of the service members imprisoned for discipline, the MND established the ‘Directive on Admittance into Guardhouses and Treatment of Detainees’ in February 2011. **| Improving Education on Individual Rights | The MND is** strengthening individual rights education given to officers and NCOs so that service members individual rights can be substantially protected and secured. First, in order to enhance individual rights awareness for all cadres, the MND initiated the individual rights subject as part of the MND online education center, and it provided individual rights education online to approximately 9,000 cadres per year, including commanders at different levels. Second, the MND is proceeding with customized education fitted to personnel functions to about 300 members who are involved in individual rights-related work, including medicine, criminal investigation, law, and corrections. Third, the MND conducted a Service-wide individual rights education tour[1] in order to foster individual rights knowledge and enhance individual rights awareness of commanders and officers at the 27 corps-level and above units in each service. Fourth, the MND conducted a special individual rights education to the marines in April 2011 in order to eradicate individual rights violations such as physical abuses and other abusive behaviors that continue to occur in the Marine Corps. Fifth, although commanders are conducting individual rights education within their units, individual rights education at the current state is not sufficient because of the lack of available individual rights experts and education materials. To resolve this problem, the MND heightened service members’ individual rights sensibility by distributing individual rights education materials in the format of movies and cartoons. This effort reduced unit commanders’ burden of conducting individual rights education. Individual rights education movies were distributed to battalion-level units in all Services as of November 2011. To improve the ease of access, these movies were posted on the MND Intranet and IPTV. Furthermore, individual rights education comic books were provided to **1. Service-wide Individual Rights** **Education Tour** Inviting individual rights experts from inside and outside the military to provide education and information on the relationship between command and individual rights; the roles of commanders (officers and NCOs) in ensuring individual rights of service members; the cases of individual rights violations; and the relief system. Service-wide Individual Rights Education Tour (3[rd] Army HQ, April 2012) Individual Rights Cartoon (Platoon, AT _EASE)_ ----- platoon-level units as of February 2012. **| On-site Instructions for Individual Rights Operations | The MND** conducted on-site visits to a total of 28 units between October and December 2011. During these visits, the MND investigated activities implemented to prevent individual rights violations and provide relief to victims, management practices in vulnerable facilities, and the current state of unit-specific individual rights education. Through these efforts, the MND was able to raise awareness among officers and NCOs involved in individual rights in each unit and among commanders. It helped form a consensus on individual rights protection. ----- **Ensuring a Productive** **Working Environment** The MND is ensuring a productive working environment in which service members can prepare for their future completion of their service, while committing to their duties. Furthermore, earning credits through distance learning and providing e-learning contents are just some of the ways that the MND is ensuring for service members to be able to continue their education during their service. In addition, the MND is improving the current system to support service members preparing for various license examinations and ensure that their experience in the military will be formally accepted in civilian society. **1. Ensuring Continuity of Learning** The MND is devoting efforts to make service members’ time in service both a civic duty for national defense and an opportunity to prepare themselves for a new life. Those service members who did not graduate from high school are deeply interested in preparing for college entrance qualification examinations to improve their education credentials. On the other hand, service members entering military service while in college are interested in earning college credits and licenses. Therefore, the MND supports their efforts in preparing for a stable return to society by providing service members with a learning environment that allows for self-development during service. **| Earning College Credits | The MND is supporting college-student** service members by providing them with distance learning classes in Cyber Knowledge Information Rooms upon coordination with the colleges, so that they may continue their education. Distance learning classes started with five colleges in 2007 and expanded to include 69 **Section** # 5 Distance Learning Courses ----- colleges in 2011 and 84 colleges in 2012. The current goal is to have 120 colleges on board by 2015. Through these distance learning opportu nities, service members may earn up to three credits per semester, six credits per year. **| Supporting College Entrance Qualification Exams | The MND** provides an educational environment to promote self-development and raise service morale in service members who have not completed their high school education; these members reach 10,000 in number per year. Each unit provides a place for studying, makes use of other service members who may be able to tutor, and offers learning materials and e-learning contents. The number of service members qualifying for college admission increased from 1,605 in 2011 to 3,213 in 2012. The MND supports, by shaping an environment, in which service members may continue their studies during service so that military service could be utilized as a turning point in their lives. **| Constant Educational Support | The MND is providing educational** support for service members by allowing service members to learn various contents such as foreign languages and information technology, as well as prepare for national license exams, by using Cyber Knowledge Information Rooms. In 2011, the MND provided approximately 2,300 different contents, which expanded to include 8,275 in 2012. In addition, to help service members bolster their language abilities, the MND supports such programs as phone English classes and English villages. The MND has also coordinated to reduce application fees for language proficiency tests (TOEIC, TEPS, OPIC, etc.) through coordi nation with the testing agencies. **2. Expanding Social Recognition of Military Career** The MND is promoting policies that will allow military careers to become an opportunity to develop service members’ capacities and plan and prepare for their future. The MND is especially keen on establishing a system that will allow the education and training received while in service ----- to be recognized in the civilian society. **| Transferring Military Education and Training to College Credits |** The MND is implementing a system to have the education and training courses that service members have completed while in service to be transferred as college credits after having those courses accredited by the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology (MEST). Currently, 87 courses in 22 military branch schools have been accredited, and the service members who complete these courses receive two to three credits through the National Continuing Education Promotion Center. In 2012, 182 colleges have revised school regulations to accept credits based on education and training courses while in the military, and the MND is coordinating with MEST to add more colleges to the list. Furthermore, the MND aims to expand the verification process to include additional courses. **| Encouraging License Exams Preparation | The MND is** encouraging service members to prepare for license examinations by allowing 84 different national license exams to take place within the Armed Forces twice a year, through coordination with the Human Resources Development Service of Korea and the Korea Communi cations Agency. Especially of the 32 courses that have been accredited for the expertise and fairness attached to the exams, the service members who have completed Armed Forces training classes are exempt from the written parts of the exams. Furthermore, after an intensive train-up provided to applicants, the number of licensee went up from 16,310 in 2011 to 18,000 in 2012. Service members certified with licenses during military service ----- |1|2| |---|---| |4|3| ||| **1 Defense Minister Kim,** Kwan Jin lending a hand during restoration activities at a flood-damaged area (Woomyeondong, Seoul, July 2011) ----- ##### Chapter 10 **The Armed Forces** **Serving the Public** Section 1 Enhancing the Public’s Rights and Benefits 290 **2 Foot-and-mouth disease quarantine** Section 2 Enhancing Communication with the Public 307 support (Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, January 2011) through Policies Focused on Daily Life **3 An elderly living alone being rescued after** being isolated during a heavy snowfall in the Yeongdong area. (Samcheock, Gangwon Province, February 2011) **4 ROK service members working hard in** support of the people during a flood damage restoration operation. (Woomyeondong, Seoul, July 2011) ----- **Enhancing the Public’s Rights** **and Benefits** The ROK military is exerting various efforts to enhance the benefits of the people and protect the people’s rights and interests while maintaining a firm, full-spectrum military readiness posture. Such efforts include relaxing the regulations pertaining to military installation protection zones, operating the military in an environment-friendly manner, and establishing a readiness posture for national-level disasters. Through these efforts, the ROK military is realizing a ‘national defense with the people.’ **1. Relaxing the Regulations Related to Military Installation** **Protection Zones** Recently, many ROK citizens have been demanding the relaxation of regulations on land utilization and the reduction of military installation protection zones in the perspective of rightfully exercising their property rights. Accordingly, the MND is continuously reducing the size and adjusting the boundaries of military installation protection zones to the extent that military operations are not affected. **| Reducing and Adjusting Military Installation Protection Zones |** In September 2008, the MND integrated the ‘Military Facilities Protection Act,’ the ‘Naval Bases Act’ and the ‘Military Air Bases Act,’ which were applied separately by each Service, into the ‘Protection of Military Bases and Installations Act.’ In accordance with this Act, improvements in guaranteeing the property rights of the people and enabling the people to use their land in an efficient manner have been **Section** # 1 ----- made by reducing or adjusting the military installation protection zones that fall under the following categories. First, the boundary of controlled protection zones[1] adjacent to the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) has been reduced from 15km to 10km as shown in Chart 10-1. Through this adjustment, a total of 241.2 million m[2] of controlled protection zones have been downgraded to restricted protection zones.[2] **Chart 10-1. Adjustment to protection zones north of the civilian control line [(]CCL[)]** MDL **Controlled Protection Zone** **(within 15km)** 25km Restricted Protection Zone (within 10km) **Controlled Protection Zone** **(within 10km)** Restricted Protection Zone (within 15km) Second, the size of military installation protection zones located more than 25km south of the MDL have been reduced. In the case of controlled protection zones, the distance from the military base or installation to the outer boundary of the military base or installation, which was 500m, has been reduced to 300m as shown in Chart 10-2. In the case of restricted protection zones, this distance has been reduced from 1km to 500m. Through this action, a total of 212.9 million m[2] of land has been removed from military installation protection zone status. **Chart 10-2. Adjustment of protection zones located more than 25km south of the MDL** **1. Controlled Protection Zones** Protection zones adjacent to the Military Demarcation Line, in which a high level of security of military operations is required, and zones in which the functions of important military bases and installations are required to be preserved. **2. Restricted Protection Zone** Protection zones necessary for the smooth conduct of military operations, and zones in which the protection of military bases and installations or the safety of residents is required. **300m** **Base/** **500m** **Installation** Controlled Protection Zone Restricted Protection Zone **500m** **Base/** **1km** **Installation** Controlled Protection Zone Restricted Protection Zone ----- By reducing and adjusting military installation protection zones from September 2008 to 2012, a total of 551.82 million m[2] of land has either been removed from military installation protection zone status, or the military installation protection zone status has been relaxed for these lands. The details of the reduction and adjustment status are shown in Chart 10-3. **Chart 10-3. Status of military installation protection zones that have been removed or relaxed** |(as of 2012)|Col2|Col3|Col4|Col5|Unit: 10km2| |---|---|---|---|---|---| |Classification|Total|2008|2009|2010|2011−2012| |Protection Zone Status Removed|30,206|21,290|1,281|2,522|5,113| |Protection Zone Status Relaxed|24,976|24,120|19|267|570| |Total|55,182|45,410|1,300|2,789|5,683| **| Reasonable Adjustments to Regulations Related to Military Instal-** **lation Protection Zones | The MND has been improving and adjusting** the regulations pertaining to protection zones in a reasonable manner by introducing the ‘Military Installation Protection Zone Management Directive,’ and the improved contents are as follows. First, protection zones located more than 25km south of the MDL were designated as such based on the distance from the ‘outer most fence line’ of the military base or installation in accordance with the relevant laws and regulations. However, by adjusting the baseline for determining the outer boundary of protection zones from the ‘outer most fence line of the base or installation’ to the ‘key installations’ inside the base or installation, the size of protection zones has been reduced. This is another step taken by the MND to relax regulations related to military base and military installation protection. ----- **Chart 10-4. Adjustment to the baseline in determining the size of protection zones** **Base/Installation outer** **most fence as the baseline** **Key installations** **as the baseline** Base/Installation outer most fence **500m** Regular installations Key installations **500m** Second, regarding the height restrictions near military air bases, improvements have been made so that height restrictions are enforced based on reasonable and systematic standards by introducing a system to evaluate the impact height restrictions have on flight safety. Accordingly, standards and procedures for approving or disapproving the construction of structures that exceed the height restriction have been established taking into account the special characteristics of the region and the flight procedures. These standards and procedures are included in the directive and are being implemented. Third, in areas that have little impact on military operations and can be utilized for the benefit of the locals and the local society, the MND has entrusted the local governments to handle the administrative process when approving constructions, which are usually handled by the jurisdictional military unit. This initiative is another effort put forth by the MND to continuously simplify the administrative process and increase efficiency for the benefit of the people. The status of land entrusted to local governments is shown in Chart 10-5. **Chart 10-5. Status of land entrusted to local governments** |Col1|Col2|Col3|Col4|Col5|Unit: 10km2| |---|---|---|---|---|---| |Classification|Total|before 2008|2009|2010|2012| |Area|92,806|49,313|14,963|23,006|5,524| ----- **2. Environment-friendly Military** The MND’s environment preservation policy is not only required to protect the health of the ROK people and enhance the benefits of the current generation, but is also required for future generations. As such, the ROK military is pursuing the following policies: Development of the military’s environment management system; expansion of environment contamination prevention projects; nature preservation activities; prevention of noise from military air fields and firing ranges; and environment management of returned USFK installations. Through these policies, the MND is exerting its efforts to protect the people’s health from various accidents caused by environmental contamination and prevent any inconveniences to the public due to environmental pollution. **| Development of the Military’s Environment Management System |** The MND is strengthening its environment management organization by establishing an environment management organization and setting standards that are appropriate to the characteristics of each Service and their subordinate units. Additionally, two environment battalions and two environment companies are being operated as organizations that carry out initial response measures during accidental environmental contami nation and provide support for cleanup projects on returned USFK instal lations. The MND is continuing to develop training and education programs related to the environment as a means to enhance the expertise of military personnel in charge of environmental issues. Also, environment management education is provided annually to troops serving in units in charge of environmental issues through entrusting the education to various outside environmental organizations such as the Korea Environmental Corporation and the Korea Rural Community Corporation. Additionally, itinerant education is provided for environmental officials at each unit, and in 2010 and 2011, two education sessions were provided each year with a total of 1,869 personnel participating in the sessions. Meanwhile, all military education agencies operate education programs in a manner that assist service members in cultivating an environment-friendly thought process, and the units at each level provide environmental education for ----- regular service members in cooperation with regional government environmental agencies. The MND is carrying out environment-related duties by establishing a mutual support and coordination system with the Ministry of Environment (MOE). Since 1998, the MND and MOE have been holding a ‘central military and government environmental meeting,’ and the local military units and regional government environment agencies have been holding a ‘regional military and government meeting’ every year. A total of 21 central military and government environmental meetings have been held as of 2011. The MND is actively making improvements to the environment management system by inspecting the environment management status and making recommendations for improvements through on-site guidance visits to subordinate units. **| Expansion of Environmental Contamination Prevention Projects |** The ROK military is operating environmental treatment facilities in accordance with environment-related laws and regulations to prevent environmental contamination of the local area caused by environment contaminating materials produced by the military. For military environ mental treatment facilities that are dilapidated, renovation projects are carried out according to the military’s mid- to long-term plan. As of December 2011, the ROK military is operating 7,248 environ mental treatment facilities such as water pollution prevention facilities. With the revision to the Korean Sewerage Act in September 2007 which tightened the water quality standard for water that are released, the ROK military has made the necessary improvements to waste water treatment facilities that treat more than 50 tons of water per day as its first priority in order to meet the tightened water quality standard. As a result of this effort, a total of 622 dilapidated facilities have been renovated or improved as of 2011. In addition, the ROK military is continuing to expand its efforts to have daily sewerage from the military be treated at public sewerage treatment facilities operated by local governments. Also it is tightening its water pollution prevention measures by commissioning specialized companies to operate and manage the sewerage treatment facilities of each unit. The status of military environmental treatment facilities that have been acquired or improved is shown in Chart 10-6. ----- **Chart 10-6. Status of acquired or improved military environmental treatment facilities** |Col1|Col2|Col3|Col4|Unit:|Number of facilities| |---|---|---|---|---|---| |Classification||Total Required|As of 2011 (%)|2012|Mid-term Plan from 2013−2017| |Acquired|Water Pollution Prevention Facilities|4,603|4,400 (96)|48|155| ||Soil Pollution Prevention Facilities|7,249|2,848 (39)|-|4,401| ||Total|11,852|7,248 (61)|48|4,556| |Improved|Water Pollution Prevention Facilities|1,074|622 (58)|-|452| ||Soil Pollution Remediation|302|211 (70)|18|73| ||Other Environmental Facilities (Noxious work place)|1,036|505 (49)|1|530| ||Total|2,412|1,338 (55)|19|1,055| For soil environment management, the MND is striving to establish a contamination prevention system focused on averting contaminations from occurring in the first place. The ROK military is installing automated oil leak detection devices that can confirm whether leaks are occurring at underground oil storage facilities, and is building concrete oil leak prevention mounts near oil storage facilities above ground that will stop the oil from spreading outwards in case a storage tank is damaged and an oil spill occurs. Also, oil pipes are installed above ground in order to immediately detect leaks and reduce the possibility of underground oil leaks. The contamination level of the environment surrounding oil storage facilities is checked every one to three years depending on the number of years the particular storage facility has been in operation, and if soil contamination is confirmed, purification work is carried out in accordance with the relevant law. Spent ammunitions are regularly collected and antipollution facilities are being installed to prevent the spread of pollution from shooting ranges. Also, in order to establish a shooting range antipollution plan, the MND is regularly measuring the contamination level of the water and soil near shooting ranges. Furthermore, efforts are being made to improve the water quality by building detention basin and equalizing reservoir dams depending on the terrain conditions near shooting ranges. Also, by planting plants that purify the soil, and appropriately managing marshes where reeds grow naturally, the spread of pollution is being prevented. Shooting range antipollution facilities ----- When military facilities such as shooting ranges and training areas are closed down, a soil environmental evaluation is conducted prior to the close down, and if required, purification work is carried out. The MND is actively exerting its efforts to dispose, reduce, and recycle military waste materials in a lawful manner. In particular, through efforts such as the food waste reduction campaign which was initiated in 2010, the MND is striving to reduce the amount of food wastes to 50% of the civilian sector output. The disposal of domestic waste materials output by the military is commissioned to the local government with jurisdiction over the relevant area and to civilian disposal companies. However, in areas where commissioned disposal is not possible such as island areas, the military independently disposes the waste materials by building military incinerators and food waste disposal facilities. Designated waste materials and construction waste materials that can pollute the environment such as waste oil and waste acid are commissioned to specialized waste disposal companies for disposal. In particular, in order to lawfully manage and dispose waste materials containing asbestos, an investigation was conducted and completed on military construction facilities containing asbestos. Equipment containing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which are persistent organic pollutants, are declared to the relevant local governments, and the disposal of these equipment are commissioned to specialized disposal companies. The status of military waste material disposal is shown in Chart 10-7. **Chart 10-7. Status of military waste material disposal [(]as of 2011[)]** **Unit: tons** |Classification|Output|Disposal Status|Col4|Col5| |---|---|---|---|---| |||Recycled (Commissioned or Internal)|Disposed|| ||||Commissioned|Internal| |Food Waste|34,221|33,405|541|346| |Domestic Waste|94,934|27,234|67,700|-| |Designated Waste|11,009|4,824|10,738|-| |Construction Waste|569,583|529,575|39,967|-| |Total|709,747|595,038|118,946|346| **| Natural Environment Preservation Activities | The ROK military** is supporting environmental purification activities in various forms such ----- as participating in the whole-of-government national cleanliness campaign. For example, the ROK military is actively participating in campaigns such as Springtime National Land Cleansing, Cultivating One Mountain One River, Han River Underwater Purification, Remote Islands Environmental Purification, and Waste Roundup in Flood Damaged Areas. Additionally, the ROK military is contributing to the efforts to restore damaged forests north of the Civilian Control Line. Major achievements of these efforts are shown in Chart 10-8. **Chart 10-8. Nature purification and damaged forest restoration north of the Civilian Control** **Line [(]CCL[)]** |Classification|Nature Purification Activities|Col3|Forest Restoration North of the CCL (ha)| |---|---|---|---| ||Amount of Waste Collected near Military Units (ton)|Civilian-Government-Military Joint Purification Activity Support (number of times)|| |2010|5,755|1,224|14.3| |2011|4,764|1,056|22.8| On top of these efforts, the ROK military is carrying out activities to eradicate alien plants that disturb the ecosystem, and activities to protect wild animals. Major achievements are shown in Chart 10-9. **Chart 10-9. Alien plant eradication and wild animal protection activities** |Classification|Eradication of Alien Plants Disturbing the Ecosystem (ton)|Wild Animal Protection|Col4| |---|---|---|---| |||Roundup of Poaching Equipment (number)|Provision of Wintertime Food (ton)| |2010|409|1,281|261| |2011|807|932|284| **| Military Airbase and Shooting Range Noise Prevention | Due to** the limited land conditions and the fast pace of urbanization, residential areas are now being established fairly close to military airbases and shooting ranges. As such, in order to minimize damages caused by noise to the local residents living near military airbases and shooting ranges, the MND is pursuing various initiatives such as establishing noise Environment purification activities by ROK Navy Sailors (Jejudo (Island), September 2012) Install winter feed bucket for wild animals ----- reduction measures, expanding noise prevention facilities, and enacting relevant laws and regulations. In order to reduce the amount of noise caused by military aircraft operations, the course and altitude during takeoff are being adjusted and the number of nighttime flights is being minimized. Additionally, noise prevention installations such as airbase hush houses, soundproof walls, and trees for noise abatement are being expanded. Furthermore, in order to reduce noise from shooting ranges, shooting hours and firing locations are being adjusted, and nighttime shooting is minimized. The MND is also pursuing the enactment of the ‘Bill on Noise Abatement from Military Airbases and Other Facilities and on Supporting Areas Requiring Noise Prevention Measures’ in order to provide support for residents suffering from noise damage. This proposed Bill stipulates various noise abatement initiatives such as the designation and notification of areas that require noise abatement measures, noise abatement projects for afflicted areas, and the establishment of a noise abatement project midterm plan every five years. In addition, this Bill includes provisions that mandate the ROK military to measure the level of noise at all times by installing noise measuring devices at military airbases and shooting areas, and strive to reduce noise during military training exercises. Once this Bill is enacted, the MND plans to conduct noise impact evaluations at military airbases and shooting ranges that urgently require noise abatement measures, and carry out noise abatement projects by annually investing a portion of the budget for this initiative. **| Environment Management of Returned USFK Bases | Bases used** by USFK are currently being returned in accordance with the Land Partnership Plan (LPP), the Yongsan Relocation Plan (YRP), and the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). Environmental regulations on the returned bases include: the environmental provision newly added in the 2001 SOFA (18 January 2001); the Memorandum of Special Understandings on Environmental Protection (18 January 2001); the Joint Environmental Information Exchange and Access Procedures (18 January 2002); and Tab A to the Joint Environmental Information Exchange and Access Procedures (28 May 2003). USFK bases are being returned in accordance with these procedures agreed to at the SOFA Inside of a Hush House ----- environmental subcommittee. Out of the 80 bases that were planned to be returned by the end of 2011, 48 bases have been returned. After a report is made to the National Assembly on a management plan on returned and granted areas, procedures such as base facility investi gation, environmental contamination purification work, and facility removal work are carried out. For those bases that require purification, the purification standard, investigation of the surrounding area, and the purification method are determined based on the usage of the base after it is returned in coordi nation with the relevant local government. Out of those bases that have been returned as of 2011 and went through inspection, 23 bases have been determined as exceeding the standards stipulated in ROK environmental laws and regulations. Out of the 23 bases, purification work has been completed at 17 bases, with 6 bases in progress. The MND will continue to conduct purification efforts on the returned USFK bases in a transparent manner. For those bases that were returned before the environmental procedures for USFK bases were established in May 2003, domestic environmental standards and procedures are being applied. Meanwhile, with regard to the suspicions that were raised in 2011 of chemical materials being buried inside a USFK base in Bucheon (former Camp Mercer), the MND put together a joint investigation group composed of civilian, government, and military experts and officials and conducted a transparent investigation. However, no contamination was detected. In August 2011, the results of the investigation on environmental contamination in Camp Market were disclosed to the public through a press conference and a briefing session for the local residents. Additionally, as a means to conduct investigations in an objective manner on those bases that were returned prior to May 2003, the MND carried out a study in 2011 on the method of environ mental investigations on returned USFK bases. Based on this study, environmental investigations will be carried out on those bases with a high possibility of contamination starting from 2012, followed by purification work, if required, based on the investigation results. ----- **3. Disaster Preparation and Damage Restoration Support** **Activities** Large scale natural disasters such as heavy snowfalls, typhoons, and torrential rains have been occurring on a frequent basis due to extreme weather caused by global warming. As these large-scale natural disasters threaten the lives and safety of the people, a systematic response at the national level is being required. As such, the military’s role to protect the lives and property of the people from disasters is increasing. As the people’s military, the ROK military is exerting diverse efforts to ensure the safety of the people during national level disasters. **| Strengthening the Disaster Preparation and Support Posture |** The MND and the units at each level are establishing a full time readiness posture together with the relevant local governments to respond to disasters. First, unexpected disasters such as the recent earthquake and nuclear power plant crisis in Japan, nationwide foot-and-mouth disease in the ROK, and torrential rainfall and landslides in the Seoul metropolitan area are occurring. In order to proactively respond to such large scale disasters, the MND has fine-tuned the crisis response action manual that covers 22 different types of disasters. Also, after the large scale blackout accident on 15 September 2011, the MND established a preparedness posture for interruptions to the supply of major utilities such as electricity, gas, and water in the military, enabling the military to conduct operations without break. Second, the National Defense Disaster Response White Paper, which analyzes past successes and failures during disaster responses, was published to assist disaster related action personnel in each Service to respond to disasters in a systematic manner. Third, the ‘National Defense Disaster Management Directive’ was overhauled in September 2011 so that it could be commonly applied by each Service considering the recent trend of disasters occurring in larger scales and diverse forms. As a result of this overhaul, contents such as the systematic management of specially designated facilities requiring attention, re-establishment of the disaster response headquarters operation _National Defense Disaster Response_ _White Paper (MND, May 2012)_ Nationwide military disaster related officials video teleconference meeting (MND video teleconference room, June 2011) ----- system, introduction of an evaluation system to assess the emergency rescue support capabilities of disaster rescue units, and the roles of the MND and each Service for providing overseas disaster relief support, were included in the Directive. Fourth, the MND is actively participating in the ‘Safe Korea Exercise’ hosted by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and jointly conducted with local governments and military units. Through these exercises, ROK military units above regiment level are gaining the proficiency to respond to various disasters. Fifth, the ROK military is upgrading the specialized disaster response capabilities of its disaster rescue unit[3] personnel by providing these personnel with expanded education opportunities on expert disaster rescue such as wintertime disaster rescue, life saving rope training, and urban search and rescue courses carried out by NEMA. Also, the ROK military has acquired life saving equipment and materials for general rescue purposes, heavy load operation purposes, and breathing and body protection purposes, and evaluated the emergency rescue support capabilities of the six Special Forces brigade units designated as disaster rescue units. Sixth, in order to minimize any interruptions in supplying public services to the people and to protect the public’s basic daily rights, the MND is training and managing military functional personnel who are sent in as backups at times when workers at key national infrastructure facilities conduct illegal activities and stop working. In 2011, special education was provided to those 464 who completed the locomotive engineer development course, and 39 additional personnel were certified in the area of power generation. The management status of the military’s functional personnel is shown in Chart 10-10. Radiological control training at the Uljin nuclear power plant in preparation of earthquakes and tidal waves (50[th] Division, May 2011) **3. Disaster Rescue Unit** The six designated Special Forces units that provide emergency rescue support based on NEMA’s request during accidents and incidents such as large scale explosions, building collapses, subway fires, etc. Earthquake response training (Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, May 2011) **Chart 10-10. Management status of the military’s functional personnel** **As of September 2012** |Classification|Total|Railroad-Electric Motor Car|Power Generation|Gas|Cargo- Transport|Others| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |No. of Personnel|20,172|482|579|335|900|17,876| *[ Other areas (10): Deputy locomotive engineers, electricity, water supply, reclaimed land management, ] communications, medical, mail transport, mail delivery, irrigation system management, ports ----- The MND will continue to develop a military disaster management system with the goal of achieving ‘zero damage to life and zero damage to property’ in the future. Through this effort, the ROK military’s readiness and support posture against national disasters is expected to be upgraded to the next level. **| Emergency Rescue and Disaster Restoration Support | The MND** is maintaining a full time emergency rescue support and disaster readiness posture by operating 412 disaster situation rooms at various units of the Army, Navy, and the Air Force. When a local government or a regional fire department requests support for emergency rescue or disaster restoration to the relevant military unit in the area, the commander of the unit determines the situation and executes measures most appropriate to the situation in the speediest manner possible. The overall control and coordination of this process is conducted by the MND. During the last five years, the support provided by the ROK military towards the civilian sector for disaster damage restoration amounts to, on a yearly average, approximately 290,000 troops and 5,500 equipment. Key examples of disaster damage restoration support provided to the civilian sector are as follows. In February 2011, serious damages occurred due to the heaviest snow fall in 104 years with the most notable being the isolation of residents of the Yeongdong area in Gangwon Province. Accordingly, the ROK Army 8[th] Corps and the 23[rd] Division immediately deployed their troops to conduct snow removal operations while carrying out proactive civilian support operations such as providing daily necessities to the isolated residents, rescuing elders living alone, providing medevac for emergency patients, and salvaging isolated vehicles. Through these efforts, the ROK military contributed immensely in protecting the lives and property of the people. From 2010 to 2011, when the entire nation was suffering from foot-and mouth disease, approximately 320,000 troops and 3,800 equipment were utilized to actively support disease control activities and mobile checkpoint operations which contributed in preventing the spread of the disease. Yeongdong area heavy snowfall damage restoration support (SBS news, February 2011) Yeongdong area heavy snowfall damage restoration support (Samcheock, Gangwon Province, February 2011) Disease control support for foot-andmouth disease (Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, January 2011) ----- Due to the localized torrential rainfall from 26 to 28 July 2011 (the largest amount of rainfall measured since 1907 with 587.5mm of consecutive rainfall), large scale damages occurred such as the Woomyeon mountain landslide and the flooding of the Sadang area in Seoul. As such, the Capital Defense Command stood up an on-site command post and rapidly sent in approximately 39,000 troops and 260 equipment to clean up flooded households, remove earth and sand, restore drains, repair roads, and support medical and disease control activities. Through these dedicated support activities, the Capital Defense Command contributed to overcoming a national level disaster. When the ROK government dispatched overseas emergency relief teams to Japan after the earthquakes and tsunami that occurred in March 2011, the MND transported rescue teams and 60 tons of relief materials to Japan a total of four times including a total of 106 personnel from the ‘119 emergency rescue team.’ The status of key emergency rescue and disaster damage restoration support provided during the last five years is shown in Chart 10-11. **Chart 10-11. Status of key emergency rescue and disaster damage restoration support during** **the last five years** Woomyeon mountain landslide restoration support (Seocho District, Seoul, July 2011) Military transport support for tsunami damages in Japan (Seoul airport, March 2011) |Classification|Support|Col3|Restoration Status|Col5|Col6|Col7|Col8|Col9|Col10| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| ||Troops (1,000)|Equipment (No.)|Lives Saved (No.)|Households Cleaned Up (No.)|Farmland (ha)|Roads/ Embank- ments (km)|Greenhouses/ Cattle Sheds (No.)|Disease Control/ Disinfection (ha)|Key Contents| |2007|182|2,607|182|4,296|945|7|4,252|53|• Typhoon (Nari) damage restoration • Prevention of oil spread in the Taean area| |2008|73|2,167|11|295|7|3|370|27|• Avian Influenza (AI) stamping out support • Sichuan earthquake restoration| |2009|59|1,748|6|260|72|18|537|-|• H1N1 Influenza quarantine support • water support for drought areas| |2010|319|5,500|25|1,985|100|109|3,159|-|• Heavy snowfall damage restoration • Foot-and-mouth disease, AI disease control support • Typhoon (Kompasu) and torrential rainfall damage restoration| ----- |2011|616|12,010|-|2,195|147|62|3,250|-|• Heavy snowfall damage restoration • Foot-and-mouth disease, AI disease control support • Typhoon (Muifa) and torrential rainfall damage restoration, putting out wildfires| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |September 2012|213|6,506|-|915|97|24|1,361|-|• Heavy snowfall damage restoration • Typhoon and torrential rainfall damage restoration • Drought relief| |Total|1,462|30,538|224|9,946|1,368|223|12,929|80|| When a national level disaster occurs, it is difficult for the government alone to restore the damages in a short period. Therefore, the MND will carry out disaster damage restoration support activities in a proactive manner in order to protect the lives and property of the people. **4. Support for Farmers and Fishermen** The ROK military is conducting civilian support activities for farming and fishing communities in order to support the vulnerable social groups created by the rapid aging of the farming and fishing community population. For example, the ROK military provides manpower to assist farming and fishing area that are experiencing difficulties in sowing and harvesting due to the lack of workers during the busy farming season. Also, manpower and equipment are provided for infrastructure expansion efforts such as irrigation ditch maintenance and river improvements in line with the changes to the farming community structure. Furthermore, the ROK military has organized an ‘on-the-road farming machinery maintenance team’ to provide technical support in areas that do not have farming machinery service centers. Meanwhile, by establishing sisterhood relationships with farming communities under the motto ‘one unit for one village’ as part of the farming and fishing community love campaign, the ROK military is supporting the farming and fishing villages by assisting harvesting Farming machinery repair support (Jangsu, North Jeolla Province, April 2011) ----- potatoes, picking apples, and cleaning seashores. The status of farming and fishing community support provided during the past five years is shown in Chart 10-12. **Chart 10-12. Status of farming and fishing community support provided during the past five** **years** |Classification|Supported Personnel (No.)|Supported Equipment (No.)|Key Support Contents|Col5|Col6|Col7| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| ||||Farming Support (km2)|Farming Machinery Repair (No.)|Irrigation Ditch Maintenance (km)|Others (No.)| |2007|180,103|2,800|24.1|4,491|820|81,834| |2008|107,849|1,785|189.5|1,727|32|65,598| |2009|98,074|2,453|34.1|1,126|41|49,239| |2010|127,343|3,290|32.1|1,980|52|54,167| |2011|80,777|1,123|25|1,619|30.6|36,276| |September 2012 (current)|84,753|2,396|2,891|1,699|40.1|30,622| |Total|678,899|13,847|3,195.8|12,642|1,015.7|317,736| *[ Others: Medical-disease control support, tab water support, environment purification, etc.] The MND is planning to further strengthen its ties with the local residents by continuously conducting ‘on-site support activities for farmers and fishermen’ that are part of the vulnerable farming and fishermen community. ----- **Enhancing Communication** **with the Public through** **Policies Focused on Daily Life** The MND is improving the military service and conscription systems in order to enhance the military’s combat power and to cultivate an environment of impartial military service duty. Additionally, it is fulfilling the people’s right to know by improving the civil service system, and is expanding its efforts to communicate with the public through a variety of activities. Some of these activities are public relations activities utilizing various media sources such as the New Media and the Defense Media Agency, which is the leading national defense media agency, and a variety of cultural activities. **1. Improving the Military Service and Conscription Systems** The MND is improving the military service and conscription systems in order to contribute to the enhancement of the military’s combat power and improve the equity and efficiency in carrying out military service duties. Key areas of improvements are: adjusting the military service period; improving the paid volunteer system; improving the switchover service and alternative service systems; improving a full-time reserve service system; and improving the community service system. **| Adjusting the Military Service Period for Enlisted Service** **Members | In accordance with the plan to reduce the number of troops** outlined in the National Defense Reform Plan, the MND originally planned to shorten the military service period by six months according to the service category, as shown in Chart 10-13, from 2008 to 2014. However, due to the recent changes to the security situation, it was decided to adjust the reduction period from six to three months. **Section** # 2 ----- **Chart 10-13. Military service period adjustment status by category** |Applicable Category|Original Plan (6-month reduction)|Adjusted Plan (3-month reduction)|Execution Date| |---|---|---|---| |Army, Marine Corps, Conscripted Police, Security Personnel in Correctional Facilities, Full-time Reservists|24 18 months|21 months|27 February 2011| |Navy, Maritime Conscrited Police, Conscripted Firefighters|26 20 months|23 months|3 January 2011| |Air Force|27 21 months|24 months|1 January 2011| This adjustment was made in order to deal with continuing military provocations posed by North Korea, prevent the weakening of the military’s combat power due to the deterioration in troop proficiency and expertise caused by reduction in military service period, and to prepare for the lack of military service resources in the future. **| Improving the Paid Volunteer System | As the military service** period of enlisted service members gets reduced, the military’s combat power is estimated to deteriorate due to faster troop circulating rate and a lack of skilled service members remaining in active service. As such, the MND has introduced and has been implementing a paid volunteer system since January 2008 in order to prevent such deterioration. Paid volunteers receive the same salary and personnel management as regular enlisted troops during their mandatory service period. However, during their extended service period, they are pinned on the rank of a staff sergeant and are paid an appropriate amount of salary commensurate with their proficiency and expertise. Paid volunteers are classified into two categories. Combat and technically proficient soldiers (type I) are selected from the regular troops with a high proficiency level, and they serve as staff sergeants for 6 to 18 months after their mandatory service period as a regular troop is completed. Advanced equipment operating expert soldiers (type II) are selected from the civilian pool prior to enlistment, and these troops serve for three years from the day of enlistment. These troops serve as regular troops during their mandatory service period, but upon completion of this period, they serve the remainder of the three years as ----- staff sergeants. The status of the paid volunteer system by category is shown in Chart 10-14. **Chart 10-14. Status of the paid volunteer system by category** |Classification|Selection|Service Period|Service Area|Salary| |---|---|---|---|---| |Type I (proficient soldiers)|Chiefs of each Service|6−18 months of additional service|Combat, technically proficient positions (squad leader, radar, etc.)|Approximately 1.25 million won per month| |Type II (expert soldiers)|Commissioner of the Military Manpower Administration|3 years|Advanced equipment operating positions (next generation tanks, KDX-III, etc.)|Approximately 1.85 million won (including an incentive pay of 600,000 won paid separately) per month| However, the utilization of this system has been unsatisfactory up to now with all the volunteers who signed up for proficient soldiers (type I) getting discharged after completing their short term service period (6 to 18 months). As such, improvements have been made to personnel management by making it possible for these proficient soldiers to extend their service period one year on a yearly basis starting from 2012, and for these proficient soldiers serving an extended duty term to serve as a career service member. Additionally, considering the negative view towards the term ‘paid volunteers,’ the MND is planning to change the name to ‘expert sergeants.’ **| Improving the Switchover Service and Alternative Service** **Systems | Although the switchover service system[1] and the alternative** service system[2] were scheduled to be abolished in 2012 in order to stably secure active service resources, the date of abolishment was adjusted in order to efficiently utilize the surplus in military service resources due to the adjustment in the military service period (18 months 21 months), and to acquire resources for maintaining public order and to vitalize the economy. The current level of switchover and alternative services applicants will be maintained until 2015. However, considering the future security environment and changes to the alternative service operation concept, the level of switchover and alternative services for 2016 and after will be reassessed in 2014. Additionally, out of the switchover service personnel, some conscripted **1. Switchover Service System** This system allows military service conscripts to serve as conscripted police, maritime conscripted police, or conscripted firefighters instead of active duty service members. **2. Alternative Service System** The purpose of this system is to efficiently utilize those surplus military service conscripts, who are remaining after all active duty positions are filled, to carry out their national military duty in alternative services equivalent to active duty service. ----- police were forcely selected from those who enlisted for active service duty, causing dissatisfaction among the military service conscripts as well as their parents. Accordingly, as of 2012, military service conscripts are switched over and assigned to the conscripted police service that they apply for, and the correctional facility security personnel service has been abolished with the introduction of a guard system which can replace these personnel. Meanwhile, in order to conform to the government’s policy of fostering superior technical personnel and to stably provide customized technical personnel to small and medium-sized businesses, the pool of skilled industrial personnel is filled mainly by graduates of vocational high schools and meister high schools. Also, the system has been improved so that technical research personnel are no longer assigned to conglomerates, and that all of them are assigned to small and medium-sized enterprises starting from 2013. **| Improving the Full-Time Reserve Service System | The full-time** reserve service system was introduced on 31 December 1993 to secure alternative forces in preparation for the reduction of the standing army, and to acquire a sufficient amount of homeland defense personnel following the abolishment of the defensive call-up system. Accordingly, if a military service conscript, who enlists as an active duty service member and completes basic military training, serves for a given time period at a military unit that executes homeland defense duties or an agency that supports such duties, he is recognized as completing his mandatory military service period. The MND selects military service conscripts, whose place of residence is in areas where homeland defense requirements have been requested by the military, as full-time reservists considering their education level, physical status, and age. In particular, married conscripts with a child are selected as full-time reservists as a means to conform to the government’s policy of guaranteeing conditions for childcare. However, because married conscripts with a child prior to enlistment are allowed to serve as full-time reservists while those married active duty service members who have a child during service are not, the issue of equity in carrying out military service for these two types of service ----- members has been raised. Accordingly, the ‘Military Service Act’ was revised as of 25 November 2011 so that active service members who have a child during active duty service can also become full-time reservists. **| Pursuing a Community Service System | In order to supplement** the problems with alternative service systems such as the public interest service personnel system, and to accommodate the increase in social service[3] demands, the MND is pursuing a community service system.[4] Accordingly, the MND is expanding the military conscript service areas to social welfare, healthcare, education and culture, and environment and safety, while moving away from services focused on simple administration aid work, in order to efficiently utilize personnel in an era of low fertility and aging population. In order to realize this initiative, the MND is planning to amend the ‘Military Service Act’ to separate the international cooperation volunteer personnel and the arts and sports personnel from the public interest service personnel category, and to change the name ‘public interest service personnel’ to ‘community service personnel.’ Additionally, in order to assist the service personnel to adjust to the working conditions and to increase their expertise, diverse efforts to have the community service system take root are being pursued such as pursuing the establishment of a public interest service personnel education center. First, public interest service personnel are first dispatched to facilities where personnel support is required but is always lacking, thereby increasing the level of efficiency of personnel utilization. Examples of such personnel support are providing aid to the elderly and disabled persons, and assisting with school related safety activities. Second, by maintaining an 80 percent and higher military service volunteer rate for service areas with a high level of difficulty such as serving at social welfare facilities, the service quality and satisfaction level for vulnerable members of society are improving. Third, the establishment of a public interest service personnel education center is being pursued in order to enhance the effect of occupational training and knowledge education, which are provided to develop the necessary expertise and strengthen the sense of duty of community service personnel, and to save educational costs. **3. Social Service** Social services provided in various social fields such as social welfare, health and medical, education and culture, and environment and safety in order to improve the overall welfare of individuals and the society. **4. Community Service System** A system where military service conscripts serve in community service areas such as social welfare, health and medical, education and culture, and environment and safety instead of serving as an active duty military service member. ----- **2. Improvements to Conscription Administration** The MND is improving the conscription administration system and procedure in order to ensure impartial decisions on assignment to military service and to prevent attempts to evade military service. To this end, the draft physical system for conscription is being improved and a compre hensive military service evasion prevention plan is being pursued. Meanwhile, by improving the civil complaints handling system and relaxing the regulations pertaining to conscription administration, various conveniences are being expanded for those who have to carry out the duty of military service. Additionally, various policies such as renowned military service family enhancement projects are being pursued in order to reinforce the public’s view towards carrying out the duty of military service. **| Establishing an Advanced Draft Physical System for Conscription |** The MND has improved the draft physical system for conscription in order to ensure that impartial decisions are made on assignment to military service, and has established a precision examination system by introducing advanced medical equipment and reinforcing expert examination personnel. First, the draft physical system, which applied the same standards for all conscripts, has been broken down so that those who require advanced examinations are separately examined from those who are healthy as of 2011. Through this initiative, the length of draft physical on healthy conscripts has been reduced which increased the convenience for conscripts, while the length of examinations on those who require precision examinations has been expanded, thereby ensuring accuracy and impartiality in deciding the type of military service for conscripts through precision draft physical. The MND has acquired a wide range of medical equipment such as 11 computer tomography (CT) scanners for precision draft physical, and reinforced its expert medical personnel force by hiring 4 civilian doctors and 21 clinical psychologists. Additionally, it plans to acquire additional advanced medical equipment such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment, and hire more clinical psychologists. Furthermore, the MND also strengthened the external monitoring and control functions pertaining Draft physical for conscription (Seoul Regional Military Manpower Administration, February 2012) ----- to draft physical by continuously expanding commissioned examinations at civilian medical institutions for rare intractable diseases and appointing external medical experts as ‘ombudsman for military service determi nation.’[5] **| Measures to Prevent Evasion of Military Service | The MND has** established and is implementing a comprehensive military service evasion prevention plan to fundamentally prevent attempts to evade military service.[6] First, in order to strengthen the effectiveness in preventing crimes related to military service evasion, the ‘Act on Conducting Judicial Police Duties and on the Scope of Such Duties’ was revised on 17 January 2012. Accordingly, Military Manpower Administration (MMA) officials were mandated with special judicial police authorities[7] and commenced activities to prevent military service evasion attempts starting on 18 April 2012. Second, if there is evidence or a high possibility that a person, who has been designated as a ‘Second Militia Service’ or has been exempt from active military service, used deceptive measures to evade military service such as attaining a license or qualification that Second Militia Service or exempt personnel cannot attain, it is now possible to conduct confirmation draft physical on that person. As a result of the confirmation examination, if the physical grade is changed or other suspicions of military service evasion are detected, the person under suspicion is reported to the investi gation authorities. Afterwards, if the military service evasion attempt is confirmed as unlawful, the original assignment to military service is cancelled and the person in question has to receive another draft physical for conscription and receive a new assignment to military service. Third, in order to fundamentally block military service evasion attempts, the Enforcement Ordinance of the Military Service Act was revised so that those who have been convicted of military service evasion cannot receive the benefit of having their military service exempt. The MND is planning to exert continuous efforts to enhance the fairness and equity in carrying out the duty of military service by making institutional improvements on preventing evasion of military service. **5. Ombudsman for Military Service** **Determination** Regional Military Manpower Administrations appoint ‘ombudsmen for military service determination’ from external members of the regional committee who listen to complaints raised by conscripts and correct them during the entire draft physical process including the determination of the physical grade of the conscript. **6. Attempts to Evade Military Service** Activities involving deception or physical damage aimed at avoiding military service. A Key example of manipulating a change to the body is intentionally gaining or losing weight. **7. Special Judicial Police Authorities** Judicial police authorities stipulated by law for special matters such as forestry protection, food and drug control, customs related criminal investigation, etc. The scope of authorities of judicial police personnel is limited in terms of region and categories, and must be executed in accordance with the Criminal Procedure Code, and under the supervision of a prosecutor. **Second Militia Service Conscripts who** have been determined incapable of active duty service or reservist duties due to their physical conditions, but who can carry out military support duties based on wartime service conscript ----- **| Expanding the Conveniences for Execution of Military Service |** The MND has expanded various conveniences for military service conscripts by improving the civil complaint response system for conscription administration and by relaxing regulations. First, since 2010, the MND has been operating an enlistment postponement system which enables graduates of specialized high schools working at small and medium manufacturing companies to put off their enlistment until the age of 24. Additionally, as of 2012, improvements have been made so that regular high school graduates who get employed (some jobs are excluded) immediately after graduation can put off their enlistment until they are 24. Furthermore, those who are attending credit bank educational institutions recognized by the Minister of Education, Science and Technology in order to earn academic credits can also postpone their enlistment. Second, the initiative to allow university students to choose a date of their preference for enlistment has been expanded for all conscripts, thereby improving the equity between conscripts and expanding the autonomy for carrying out military service. Third, the ‘enlisting with a buddy’ system was improved so that two to three multi-cultural family conscripts can enlist together and serve at a unit where they can share the same barracks. Additionally, the MND is recruiting active service members considering the characteristics and conveniences of the conscripts through initiatives such as the Army Hometown Service Program which allows service members to serve in units close to their hometown. **| Creating an Environment for Execution of Impartial Military** **Service | The MND and MMA are pursuing a variety of policies to** create a ‘mature social environment’ where those who diligently perform the duty of military service are respected and can feel honor and pride, and to enhance the positive perspective of society towards military service. Starting in 1999, ‘military service record disclosure program for public officials with a grade of level 4 and above’[8] was initiated to satisfy the public’s right to know, and to contribute to improving the transparency and credibility of military service execution. The MND will continue to put 2012 Renowned Military Service Family Awardees **8. ‘ Military Service Record Disclosure** **Program for Public Officials’** This program has been in operation since the enactment of the ‘Act on Reporting and Disclosing the Military Service Record of Public Officials’ on 24 May 1999. According to this Act, military service records of the public officials listed below and their children need to be reported and are disclosed. - Political service officials (President, National Assemblymen, Ministers, Vice Ministers, etc.) - Regular public officials (Level 4 and above) - Active Duty Service Members (Colonel and above) - Educational public officials - Heads of local governments and local assemblymen ----- forth its efforts to dissolve the public’s distrust towards the leaders of society not carrying out their duties of military service, and to create an environment of ‘Noblesse Oblige’ throughout society. Additionally, the MMA has been implementing the ‘renowned military service family enhancement program’ since 2004 in order to raise the level of pride of those who diligently carried out their duties of military defense, and to render them with the appropriate treatment and compensation for their sacrifice and dedication. Renowned military service families are selected from those families that have three generation of service members who have served as active service. The selection status as of 2012 is shown in Chart 10-15. **Chart 10-15. Renowned Military Service Family Selection Status** **Unit: Number of families** |Total|2004|2005|2006|2007|2008|2009|2010|2011|2012| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |1,363|40|84|92|73|132|147|192|302|301| Starting in 2010, the MND is providing various discount benefits to renowned military service families by making arrangements with 479 facilities throughout the country such as museums, hospitals, and condominiums so that these families can actually benefit from their selection as renowned military service families. On top of these efforts, the MND is actively promoting a variety of activities to increase the positive view on carrying out military service by holding active duty service member enlistment culture festivals where the anxieties and nervousness of the conscripts can be alleviated, and by providing introductory education on military service for teenagers. **3. Communicating More with the People** Under the vision of ‘realizing an open defense civil petition adminis tration that serves the people,’ the MND is striving to improve its civil petition service by improving the civil complaint handling procedures and making the information disclosure system more substantial. Additionally, it is expanding the communication infrastructure with the people by ----- actively advertising the defense policies through the Defense Media Agency, which is the leading national defense media agency, and by carrying out more diverse cultural programs inside and outside of the barracks. **| Improving the Civil Petition Service | The main areas of civil** petitions made to the MND are related to: confirmation of death or injury during military service, benefits for service and sacrifice, reserve force training, removing the military facility protection zone status, and noise from fighters and helicopters. Approximately 3,800 civil petitions are received monthly, amounting to approximately 40 to 50 thousand a year. The status of civilian petitions received over the past 5 years is shown in Chart 10-16. 60,000 40,000 20,000 0 **Chart 10-16. Status of civilian petitions received over the past 5 years** **Unit: Number of petitions** **Documentation** **Internet** **Total** **51,153** **47,117** **45,910** **43,094** **40,652** 36,917 36,258 33,684 32,856 43,143 10,200 9,652 9,410 7,796 8,010 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 The MND is maintaining an average level in the civil petition satisfactory questionnaire taken by the Office of the Prime Minister every year on all the central government agencies. For two consecutive years in 2008 and 2009, it was selected as an outstanding agency. However, due to the attack on the ROK Ship Cheonan and the shelling of Yeonpyeongdo (island) in 2010, the level of satisfaction towards MND’s civil petition service dropped. The MND’s civil petition satisfactory trend is shown in Chart 10-17. ----- **Chart 10-17. The MND’s civil petition satisfactory trend** 90 70 50 **Unit: Points** **MND** **Average of all government agencies** **76.97** **69.2** **71.5** **70.39** **74.43** **73.32** **67.0** **68.27** **69.52** **62.2** 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 In 2011, the MND USFK Base Relocation Office (MURO) won the Prime Minister’s award at the 2011 Outstanding Cases in Civil Petition Administration Improvements competitive exhibition as a result of putting forward efforts to improve the level of satisfaction such as revising the ‘Directive on Handling National Defense Civil Petitions’ and the ‘Electronic Civil Petition Administration Manual.’ In 2012, the MND pursued the establishment of a national defense call service system to accommodate the needs of civil petitioners and enhance the level of quality and service of civil petition administration. Additionally, it will continue to exert efforts to meet the level of public expectations. **| Reinforcing the Information Release System | It is evaluated that** the releasing of information has become stabilized with recent trends showing a consistent amount of information release requests being made after a steady increase since the implementation of the ‘Information Release Act’ in 1998. The yearly status of information release requests is shown in Chart 10-18. **Chart 10-18. Yearly status of information release requests** |Year|2005|2006|2007|2008|2009|2010|2011| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |Number of Requests|492|468|677|748|641|755|749| The MND is exerting tireless efforts to improve the information release menu on the MND internet website and to supplement the method in Civil Petition Administration Improvements competitive exhibition awards (Cheongju, November 2011) ----- which the list of releasable information is provided to the public, so that the people can access the information they seek in an easy and convenient manner. Additionally, the MND is improving its communication with the people by announcing those policies and information that are of interest to the public in advance, and informing the public of how long it takes to retrieve the requested information and providing such information in a timely manner. In particular, the MND information release monitoring group was established for the first time in 2012 and is currently in operation. This group conducts evaluations on the appropriateness in releasing information and on the status of releases, and contributes to improving the accessibility to information stored on the internet website and the conveniences of the website users. **| Publicizing National Defense Policies | The MND is striving to** increase the public’s trust towards the military by better informing the people of various national defense policies utilizing diverse national defense media, and by shaping a positive image of the MND and the military. The MND is utilizing the broadcasting resources of the Defense Media Agency, which is being operated as the responsible operating agency, and daily and monthly newspapers to deliver various national defense news and information not only to service members but also to the public. The Korea Forces Network (KFN) TV of the Defense Media Agency broadcasts nationwide through satellite broadcasting and local cable stations, and delivers diverse news and information on the military to the service members and the public through defense related news and education programs. The KFN Radio delivers how life is in the military and the activities carried out in the military over the air. The MND airs various programs that introduce defense policies in an easy-to-understand manner through the KFN TV and Radio, and provides education and entertainment programs geared towards service members and civilians alike. In particular, the program ‘Morale Train’ contributes to boosting the morale of the service members serving in remote locations through various entertainment performances. MND Information Release Monitoring Group Briefing Session (MND, March 2012) Recording of Korea Forces Network program ----- The National Defense Daily, the daily newspaper published by the Defense Media Agency, is a tabloid format daily newspaper that provides articles on defense policies, military activities, barracks life, and other military related news, and 150,000 copies are published daily. The ‘National Defense Journal,’ which is a monthly magazine, also provides various information on a variety of national defense policies and military related information. Around 20,000 copies of this journal are published monthly. The MND is actively carrying out diverse on-line public relations activities in order to adjust to the rapidly changing internet environment in the information age. First, policy promotions and information related to various policies are provided via e-mails. Also, by continuously providing policy information in the form of a newsletter to over 42,000 defense policy followers of various class, age, and vocation via e-mail, the MND is exerting its efforts to assist the people in properly understanding the national defense policies. The MND is making improvements to its internet website in a user-friendly manner, and is communicating with netizens by operating blogs. As a result of these efforts, Donggo-Donglak (Sharing the Joys and Sorrows), the most famous of MND blogs, won the best blog award in 2009 and the outstanding blog award in 2011 by the Korea Blog Business Association. As of September 2012, Donggo-Donglak was visited more than 9 million times. Meanwhile, two blogs that took off in 2009, _Gunhwa-singgo (With the Boots Strapped On) a theme blog for career_ service members, and Yeolhyeol-Gukbang (Passionate National Defense), a policy blog, were integrated into a policy promoting blog, called ‘N.A.R.A.’[9] in 2011. In addition to utilizing blogs, the MND is promoting its policies through social network services (SNS) such as Tweeter, me2day, and Facebook in order to inform the public of policies of interest in a prompt manner and to communicate in a real-time manner. Through these means, the MND is promoting and informing national defense policies to the public through direct communication while listening to and collecting the diverse views and voices of the public. Public relations activities utilizing SNS allow for accurate and prompt dissemination of policy information when a national defense issue arises. **9. N.A.R.A.** The name N.A.R.A. utilizes the first letters of the Navy, Army, ROK Marine Corps, and Air Force. It is a MND policy information blog, and the name ‘Nara,’ which means nation, describes MND’s main duty of defending the nation. ----- This in turn assists the public in clearly understanding the national defense issue at hand. Meanwhile, in September 2012, the MND and the Korea Journalists Association established and announced the ‘Military News Coverage and Reporting Guideline during National Security Crisis Situations.’ The need for a ‘Reporting Guideline’ arose after the attack on the ROK Ship _Cheonan and the shelling of Yeonpyeongdo (island) in 2010, and the final_ product came out after carrying out approximately two years of discussions and meetings amongst experts in various fields including the MND, media, and academia. According to this Guideline, when an emergency situation occurs in the future that could have a serious impact on national security, the ROK military provides the relevant information to the media in an accurate and prompt manner, supports the media’s news coverage and reporting activities, and devises personal safety measures for reporters. Additionally, this Guideline requires journalists to observe: operation site control lines by fully considering military and operation security, procedures for attaining endorsement prior to carrying out news collecting activities on operation related items, and basic regulations for news collection set forth by the military. **| Pursuing Diverse Cultural Programs | Cultural activities play a big** part in cultivating the emotions of the service members and generating intangible combat power. The ROK military provides opportunities to experience and take part in cultural and arts programs along with reading opportunities in order to relieve the tensions of the service members accumulated during training as well as to give service members a sense of emotional stability. Additionally, international military culture exchanges are being expanded as well as a variety of activities to enhance friendly and cooperative relations with the civilian sector and the U.S. In order to provide service members with opportunities to experience culture and arts programs in their barracks, instructors in the fields of music, traditional dance and video are invited once a week to military units, and provide culture and arts education for service members. Furthermore, various cultural and arts organizations visit military units Culture and arts education at a military unit (30[th] division RECON unit facility, August 2011) ----- and carry out performances more than 170 times annually, and the MND is planning to increase the number of these kinds of performances in the future. Also, approximately 50 books selected by the military are provided annually to military units above company level in order to cultivate the emotions of the service members. Setting up a library is mandatory at military units above battalion level, and currently around 1,800 military libraries are in operation. The ROK Armed Forces Symphony Orchestra, established in January 2010, contributes to creating a high standard military culture by holding concerts on a regular basis. This Orchestra also carries out ‘on-the-road concerts’ at isolated units and facilities such as military hospitals. Also, it carried out local concerts in the U.S. in September 2011, and a concert in Vietnam in March 2012 to commemorate the 20 [th] anniversary of diplomatic ties between the ROK and Vietnam. As seen here, the MND has been actively conducting international military culture exchanges, and in November 2012, it invited the People’s Liberation Army culture and arts performance group to perform in the ROK in commemoration of the 20[th] anniversary of diplomatic ties between the ROK and China. Meanwhile, the ROK military has focused on composing typical military songs that can be sung by the service members together to cultivate a military spirit, instead of utilizing ballad-type military songs. In September 2012, the ‘True Military Song’ competition was held and 10 military songs were selected as newly composed military songs. In October 2012, the ‘1[st] Military Song Chorus Competition’ was held for civilian groups in order to create a consensus on the military and national security by singing these military songs together, and more military song singing events will be pursued in the future. Since 1972, opportunities have been provided for new USFK service members to experience the Korean traditional culture and visit security awareness sites in order to enhance the friendship between the ROK and U.S. service members and to assist USFK service members in better understanding the Korean culture. In particular, various programs in which the ROK and U.S. service members participate together such as temple stay, Korean food tasting, Taekwondo, and traditional Korean musical instrument lessons have been carried out since 2011. Military library (3[rd] artillery unit, 27[th] division) Performance by the People’s Liberation Army culture and arts performance group in the ROK (National Theater, November 2012) The Minister of National Defense Hosted 1[st] Military Song Chorus Competition (Seoul National Memorial Board, October 2012) Korean culture experience by USFK service members (Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon, November 2012) ----- **4. Recovery of Korean War Remains** **| Meaning and Progress | The Korean War remains recovery project** is a patriots and veterans project to recover the remains of those 130,000 plus patriotic heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice during the Korean War, and to bury them at the National Memorial Board. Through this project, the MND is cultivating the spirit of patriotism and service to nation by following through with the nation’s persisting responsibility of ‘taking care of those who have sacrificed themselves for the nation until the end.’ This project originally commenced as a temporary project as a part of the 50[th] Korean War anniversary commemorative project led by the Army in 2000. However, starting from 2003, this project became a permanent project with a Korean War remains recovery division and recovery team being established at the Army Headquarters. In January 2007, the MND Agency for KIA Recovery and Identification (MAKRI) was established with 85 personnel and 4 recovery teams, and it is being operated as a remains recovery expert unit. Meanwhile, with the enactment of the ‘Act on the Excavation of the Remains of Soldiers Killed in the Korean War’ in 2008, the remains recovery project took off in full scale as a whole-of government initiative. However, the remains recovery project is facing many difficulties due to the lack of existing data on Korean War heroes, the aging of the Korean War generation and war veterans, changes to terrain features due to land development, and the tampering of locations where remains are presumed to be buried. **| Remains Investigation and Recovery | The MAKRI organization** has been reinforced three times since its inception in 2007, and as of 2012, there are 195 personnel working in 5 divisions (planning, investi gation, recovery, identification, support) and 8 recovery teams. At first, the MAKRI conducted remains recovery operations at major combat areas. However, in 2009, MAKRI conducted a basic investigation based on a map that shows where remains are presumed to be buried, which was drawn up through war history research and testimonies of Korea War veterans. In particular, 10 field grade officers in the reserve force were hired to conduct precision probing activities in 2011, which The ROK President and First Lady visit MAKRI (Seoul National Memorial Board, June 2011) ----- resulted in the completion of the ‘Comprehensive Analysis on the Whereabouts of Remains’ in February 2012. Based on this Analysis, the ‘Remains Recovery Five-Year Plan’ was established which set the conditions to pursue various remains recovery initiatives in a more systematic and efficient manner. Additionally, the ‘KIA Total Information System’ (KIATIS) was established in 2011 as a means to make conduct remains recovery activities in a more advanced and scientific manner, and enabled the digitalization of all data and records of those killed in action. Remains recovery related records, which were all written down manually in the past, are now inputted into the KIATIS using a computer at the site and are shared in real-time with all the relevant units and agencies. Meanwhile, the MND is putting forth its efforts to improve the expertise and quality level of the remains recovery project by providing domestic and overseas training for expert personnel and forming professor advisory groups for various criteria. As a result of these efforts, more than 1,000 remains are being recovered every year since 2009. Since the commencement of the remains recovery project in 2000 up to 30 September 2012, a total of 6,802 remains of friendly forces have been recovered. The details of this achievement are shown in Chart 10-19. **Chart 10-19. Yearly Status of Remains Recovery [(]As of September 2012[)]** **1,443 1,389** **1,278** **Friendly Forces** **Enemy Forces** **837** 1,331 1,303 **811** **534** 1,139 673 **344** **211** **226** **152** **173** **203** **175** 378 788 334 202 165 118 138 141 92 10 9 61 34 35 62 83 156 164 139 112 86 23 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 **| Remains Identification Activities | Although 6,802 remains have** been recovered up to now, the personal identities of only 109 remains KIATIS equipment being utilized at a recovery site Joint enshrinement ceremony (Seoul National Memorial Board, December 2011) Notifying a bereaved family member of the remains identity confirmation (39[th] Division, February 2012) ----- have been identified as of September 2012. Out of the 109 remains, only 79 have been confirmed by bereaved families. The identification of remains is carried out by comparing the DNA sample that the bereaved family members provided. As such, acquiring DNA samples from bereaved family members is extremely important for confirming the identity of remains. The method of comparing and analyzing DNA samples provided by bereaved family members to identify the personal identity of remains has been applied since 2003. Up to 2002, identification of remains was carried out using the articles found with the remains. However, the number of DNA samples that got collected was less than satisfactory due to the fact that DNA sample collection activities were only carried out at military hospitals around the country up until 2006. However, since the establishment of MAKRI in 2007, collection activities of DNA samples of bereaved family members are also being conducted in 255 community health centers nationwide. Additionally, the DNA sample collection method was changed from a blood collecting method to a buccal swab in 2011, which made it easier to collect DNA samples. Also, the collection of DNA samples of bereaved family members, which was conducted on civilians only in the past, has been expanded to include active duty service members. Taking into account that DNA is a decisive factor in identifying the identity of remains, a national defense forensics research center was established at the MND Criminal Investigation Command to conduct DNA tests. Through these efforts, the number of DNA samples collected has increased significantly in the past three years, and as of September 2012, DNA samples from 21,828 individuals have been collected. The status of DNA samples collected, confirmed identities, and remains confirmed by bereaved family members are shown in Chart 10-20. **Chart 20-10. Status of DNA samples collected, confirmed identities, and remains confirmed** **by bereaved family members** **Unit: Number** Collecting DNA samples from a bereaved family member |Classification|Total|2000|2001|2002|2003|2004|2005|2006|2007|2008|2009|2010|2011|2012| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |DNA samples collected|21,828|-|-|-|357|359|609|516|1,418|2,560|4,452|3,535|4,550|3,472| |Confirmed identities|109|3|36|3|2|7|0|1|9|13|11|6|7|11| |Remains confirmed by bereaved family members|79|3|1|9|2|3|2|2|9|13|11|6|7|11| ----- **| Uplifting the Honor and Pride of Fallen Heroes and the Bereaved** **Families | Those remains whose identities have been identified are** provided to the bereaved families and buried at the National Memorial Board. In particular, the method of delivering the ‘Remains Identity Confirmation Notification’ to the bereaved family members was improved in February 2011. Previously, notifications were made via mail or phone call, but starting from February 2011, the local division commander, the casualty officer, head of the respective local government, a regional patriots and veterans’ group official jointly visit the residence of the bereaved family member to deliver the notification personally. During the notification delivery, the articles of the fallen hero and a consolation plaque from the Minister of National Defense are also delivered. Meanwhile, President Lee Myung-bak personally hosted an enshrinement ceremony for the Korean War ‘Patriotic Brothers,’[10] whose identities have been confirmed, on 6 June 2011, and consoled the bereaved family members. Additionally, President Lee hosted a repatriation ceremony on 25 May 2012 for the 12 ROK military service member remains that were recovered by U.S. service members in North Korea. This was the first time that the remains of ROK military service members, which were recovered in North Korea, have been repatriated to the ROK. Out of the 12 remains that have been repatriated, the two remains, which have been identified as private first class Kim, Yong Soo and private first class Lee, Kop Soo, were buried at the Daejon National Memorial Board on 20 June 2012. As such, the ROK government is exerting great efforts to uplift the pride and honor of the bereaved families. Once inter-Korean relations improve in the future, the ROK government plans to actively pursue the repatriation of remains of ROK fallen heroes in North Korea based on the South-North joint remains recovery agreement made at the South-North Defense Ministerial Meeting in November 2007. **| Enhancing the International Status of the MAKRI | The U.S.** established the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), a remains recovery expert agency, in 2003 consisting of special facilities, equipment and expert personnel to carry out the mission of finding and recovering all U.S. remains left behind in combat areas worldwide to the **10. Patriotic Brothers** The ‘patriotic brothers’ refer to the late Staff Sergeant Lee, Man Woo (older brother) and the late Sergeant First Class Lee, Chun Woo, who enlisted in August and September 1950, respectively, and died in May and September 1951, respectively. The remains of the older brother were buried at the Seoul National Memorial Board in 1960. The remains of the younger brother were recovered in Yanggu, Gangwon Province in October 2010, and the identity and bereaved family members were confirmed in 2011. In order to honor the noble sacrifice of the two brothers, the remains of the younger brother was buried next to the tomb of the older brother. Burial ceremony for the ‘Patriotic Brothers’ (Seoul National Memorial Board, 6 June 2011) Repatriation ceremony for Korean War remains recovered in North Korea (Seoul Airport, May 2012) ----- very end. As such, the ROK MND is maintaining a close cooperation and coordi nation system with the U.S. Against this backdrop, the ROK MND and the U.S. Department of Defense signed the ‘Memorandum of Agreement on War Remains Recovery Cooperation’ on 28 November 2011 which provides the legal and institutional basis that consolidates the war remains recovery cooperation between the ROK and the U.S. Joint remains recovery and identification activities between the ROK and the U.S. are conducted numerous times on a yearly basis. As a result of these efforts, the U.S. delivered 15 ROK service member remains to the ROK, and the ROK delivered 8 U.S. service member remains to the U.S. as of September 2012. Meanwhile, the MAKRI held a presentation session on the ROK’s remains recovery project in Hawaii in August 2011, and a remains recovery photo and article exhibition in Las Vegas in September 2011. These initiatives also provided opportunities to introduce the current status of the MND remains recovery project to Koreans living abroad, and to strengthen the self-esteem of these Koreans. Additionally, DNA samples of 16 bereaved family members living abroad were collected in a foreign country for the first time. Additionally, a MAKRI delegation participated in the 64[th] AAFS Annual meeting held in Atlanta, Georgia from 20 to 24 February 2012 where around 4,000 personnel from 68 nations participated. At the symposium, the MAKRI delegation presented its ‘forensic analysis of the 4,000 plus Korean War remains that have been recovered in the past three years’ which showed the world that the ROK is the second nation to have established a recovery and identification system for war remains after the U.S. In 2012, upon the request from the Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC), the ROK government dispatched a support team of 12 experts to assist in confirming missing people in Libya. This support was provided to assist in the national reconstruction efforts of Libya in a humanitarian perspective, and was decided through the foreign affairs and security policy coordination meeting and the 6[th] cabinet meeting on 26 January 2012. The ‘ROK Support Team for Identification of Missing Libyan Nationals’ carries out missions such as training expert personnel to attain Signing of the ROK-U.S. Korean War Remains Recovery MOA (U.S. Department of Defense, November 2011) Participation in an AAFS Annual Meeting ----- the capabilities required to execute missions in Libya, building identifi cation and DNA test facilities and providing the relevant equipment, and providing support for DNA tests. Through these efforts, this Support Team is expected to not only enhance the national prestige but also contribute to strengthening the friendly cooperative relationship between the ROK and Libya. **5. Efforts of the ROK Military for a Fair Society** The ROK government is striving to realize a fair society that is required for continuous growth and prosperity for all, as well as continued advancement. A fair society connotes three key values: ‘respect for liberty and creativity,’ ‘equal opportunities and fair competition,’ and ‘consid eration for the weak.’ In line with the government’s guidelines, the MND is exerting its efforts to build an impartial military internally, and to contribute to realizing a fair society externally. **| Way Ahead | The three policy initiatives that the MND is pursuing** with emphasis are: a more autonomous and creative national defense, a fairer national defense, and a national defense that fulfills its social responsibilities. First, ‘a more autonomous and creative national defense’ refers to a national defense that achieves maximum performance results through open communication and creativity. In order to create a national defense culture that is dynamic and communicates more closely with the people, the MND is operating a national defense information release monitoring group and promoting various social contribution activities carried out by the military. Additionally, the MND is innovating the policy and duty processes to increase the efficiency of national defense management, and is applying creative management skills of the civilian sector. Second, ‘a fairer national defense’ refers to a national defense that earns the trust of the people by ensuring the principle of equal opportunities and transparency. By enhancing the level of fairness in deciding the type of military service and fundamentally preventing acts to evade military President Lee presiding over the 4[th] Fair Society Promotion Conference (Suwon, September 2011) ----- service, the MND is putting forth its efforts to create a social environment where those who diligently carry out their military service are respected. Additionally, transparency is strengthened by solidifying the promotion system based on ability instead of considering the candidate’s hometown, year of graduation, and year of previous promotion, and expanding full competition contracts in the national defense procurement process. Third, ‘a national defense that fulfills its social responsibilities’ refers to achieving a national defense that gives back to those who have dedicated themselves to country, and that considers the weak. To achieve this initiative, the MND is improving the privileges rendered to and treatment of war veterans and fallen heroes who dedicated and sacrificed themselves for country. Additionally, the MND is strengthening its support for vulnerable social groups that need special consideration from within and outside the military such as service members from multi-cultural families and residents living near military units. On top of these efforts, the ROK military is continuously pursuing various sharing and volunteer activities such as operating a farmer’s market through the ‘one unit for one village’ initiative and supporting students that live in isolated areas where educational conditions are poor. Through these initiatives, the ROK military plans to transform itself into a military that is loved and respected by the people. Seamen from the Navy Jeju Defense Command carrying out civilian support volunteer activities. (Jeju Island, May 2012) ----- -----