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The South Korean government’s 2018 budget bill, which was passed by the National Assembly early in the morning on Dec. 6, allocates 43.2 trillion won (US$39.7 billion) to national defense, which is 7.0% more than this year’s budget. That was 40.4 billion won (US$37.2 million) more than the government had initially requested.

“This was the first time since 2011 that spending on national defense increased during the National Assembly’s budget deliberations, and at 7.0%, the rate of increase in defense spending was the highest since 2009,” the Ministry of Defense said in a statement released on Dec. 6. But since the total amount of the government’s 2018 budget increased by 7.1% year on year, defense spending accounts for basically the same share of the government budget.

For the most part, the extra funding that was allocated during deliberations in the National Assembly will go to improving the country’s military capabilities, including the development of three key programs to respond to North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs. Related programs included in the budget at the request of the National Assembly are the second phase of Patriot PAC-3 guided missiles (16.7 billion won; $15.3 million), a graphite bomb (also called a “blackout bomb”) R&D program (500 million won; $460,000) and a tactical surface-to-surface guided weapon program (400 million won; $368,000).

Funds for strengthening the capability of the “special mission brigade” created on Dec. 1 to carry out “decapitation operations” were also added to the budget during the National Assembly’s deliberations. A total of 340 million won was allocated, including 300 million (US$276,000) for drones designed for special operations, 16 million won (US$150,000) for automatic grenade launchers and 5 million won (US$4,600) for a “suicide drone” that can self-destruct. The government’s original budget had already allocated 6.5 billion won (US$5.98 million) for equipment for the special mission brigade, including through-the-wall radar and lightweight bulletproof vests.

The National Assembly also got its way about earmarking 14.75 billion won ($US13.6 million) in the budget for acquiring MEDEVAC (medical evacuation) helicopters. This is apparently connected with problems with the military’s medical system that came to light during a North Korean soldier’s defection at Panmunjeom last month. In addition, 7.1 billion won (US$6.5 million) was added to the budget for safety equipment designed to prevent accidents at firing ranges.

The monthly pay for soldiers doing their mandatory military service will go up 88%, from 216,000 won (US$200) this year to 405,700 won (US$373; calculated for the rank of sergeant), while the payment made for attending reserve training will go up from 10,000 (US$9.20) to 16,000 won (US$14.72).

On the other hand, the number of noncommissioned officers will only be increased by 2,470, not 3,458 as the government had originally requested to make the military a more elite fighting force. This reduction was connected to a larger dispute between the ruling and opposition parties over a plan to increase the number of government employees.

By Park Byong-su, senior staff writer

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]

Patriot PAC-3 guided missile