South Korean Defence Strategy - Mass, Firepower, Industry & Existential Threats

Across other videos I've often hinted at the Republic of Korea as something of a military outlier. A major power that, at a time that other forces are battling a shortage of artillery, manpower or heavy equipment - still had all of the above at its disposal in serious quantities.

Because whereas many other nations in places like Europe embraced the peace dividend of the 1990s, the ROK's strategic context remained complex and threatening - with North Korea's massive conventional (and now nuclear) arsenal constantly ready to resume a war that never officially ended.

The ROK's defence strategy is a story of a nation having to make sacrifices and prioritise in order to contain and deter serious threats within the limits of the nation's limited resources. It's an interesting study in a major military for whom mass and artillery firepower remain key tools of deterrence and security - and it is likewise a story of a nation that has gone from a minor actor in the international arms market, to an increasingly major player.

And so today, I want to talk about the Republic of Korea, its unique strategic environment, and the strategy it's embraced to survive and thrive in it.

Patreon:

Caveats/Corrections:
All normal caveats and limitations from other episodes apply as normal

At one point I misspeak and refer to the most recent ROK NSS as a 2022 document - the slide is correct and it's a 2023 document

I also refer to Daewoo as a shipbuilder ( because I was working from a 2022 dataset). I later correctly refer to "Hanwha Ocean" which is the correct term after the acquisition of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering

I likewise say there is no chapter on Japan in the NSS - that is correct, but there is a few paragraphs on the relationship (similarly there is a bilateral paragraph in the Indo Pacific Strategy) - the focus however remains on trilateral or multilateral versions of the relationship

Sources/Reading:

ROK National Security Strategy

ROK DWP 2020

ROK DWP 2022

ROK Indo Pacific Strategy

US soldier literally fleeting to North Korea (1,000IQ move)

Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs Figures on Energy imports

Washington Declaration

Reporting on ROK Hypersonics

Reporting on US-Japan-ROK BMD drills

Reporting on Joint Strike Ship Concept

Reporting on ROK F-15 Upgrades

Japan ROK resume security dialogue

Reporting on NSS and DWP

Timestamps:
00:00:00 — Republic Of Korea
00:01:30 — What Am I Talking About?
00:02:21 — History
00:06:54 — Korea's Strategic Position
00:14:00 — The ROK Armed Forces
00:25:37 — Industry And Systems
00:38:38 — Korean Strategic Thinking
00:51:12 — Diplomatic Strategic Responses
00:58:45 — Hard Power
01:09:12 — Conclusions
01:10:40 — Channel Update

[PerunAU]

Apologies for the fact that the sound quality on this one will be spotty - there is only so much a sound guy can do when I have to record across multiple locations without a proper setup. That said - I thought it was finally time to look at at one of the world's more powerful conventional militaries and the industrial base and strategy that sit behind it.

This video originally included a brief blooper where I teleported Pyongyang by misspeaking but I've been able to remove that in post. I leave a note here just to own up to the error.

Other caveats and corrections (including referring to the NSS as a 2022 rather than 2023 document) in the description as always. Also, yes the meme is wrong - the German special fund is 100 billion. not 100 million.

All the best, and thank you as always for your engagement and support.

[solhoibaturu]

11:57 There’s an interesting anecdote in regards to “militaries don’t usually stockpile their ammunitions and equipments on the border”. When the Civ series took SK by storm, many Korean players thought it’s weird how other neighbouring nations condemn the player when we place our troops on the border - I mean, where else do we possibly station our troops, if not on the border? But it turned out that that’s not where countries usually station their militaries, and that it isn’t normal for countries to have huge and densely fortified areas on the frontier as well. It’s just that we got used to it so much that we forgot existential threat isn’t a common thing around the globe.

[jloiben]

Military contractors: How much artillery do you need?
SK: However much is needed to literally black the skies of NK. Then double it

[maddryoun]

I like how you talked about the pragmatic side of S. Korean diplomacy, as it is the reason why instead of sending 300, 000 artillery rounds directly to Ukraine, they were instead "lent"out to the US as "emotional support artillery rounds" for restocking the US supply.

[LimDul]

25:52 "The finance bros and bankers of London may generate heaps of GDP, but draft several thousand of them and put them in some warehouses surrounded by metal, tools and equipment, and tell them to start building tanks, and you're not gonna get a new armored vehicle, you're gonna get a reality TV show." ;D
Man, the way Perun switches from hard facts to cynical humor in his presentations without skipping a beat is savage and gets me every time.

[squidgameman]

Hi Perun, as a Korean thank you for showing interest in Rep. of Korea, and thank you for making this video. Some thoughts on details mentioned:

- On NoKo threat along DMZ: the area between Seoul urban centre and Panmunjom is what was once called the "Western corridor, " a very flat terrain ideal for mechanised assaults. The only defensive geography there for ROK is the Imjin River. Because this was a critical weakness for ROK during the Cold War, many policies were implemented to minimise this problem.

1) satellite cities were built along the corridor, with newlywed couples (reservist-age) encouraged to live there. (Goyang, Paju etc) This provided both quick access to reservists near the border and changing terrain from flat land to urban, making mechanised assaults more difficult
2) for most of the Cold War, US troops (2ID) manned the Western corridor. This way, NoKo attacks along the weakest spot on the DMZ automatically brought US intervention, thus acting as human tripwire for deterrence.
3) as mentioned above, large amount of roadblocks and tunnels rigged with explosives are concentrated north of Seoul in this area. In addition, in 1979~1980 ROK built what NoKos called "Korea's Berlin Wall, " a large line of anti-tank fortifications that was meant to make initial mechanised assaults difficult. This was mixed in with anti-amphibious landing defense at the mouth of the Han river.
4) there's a running theory that massive 1980s infrastructure project of the Han River (making the river deeper, straightening riverline) was related to making the Han river more defensible against NoKo attack.

- (05:30) on Soviets boycotting the UNSC vote in 1950: this story is more widely known in Korea as "the Soviet representative ate naengmyon (cold buckwheat noodles) and had diarrhoea, so he was unable to join the meeting." This story is more popular among older gens.
- (07:35) "the Koreans probably no longer have to fear angry samurai landing at Busan:" ROK, esp. during the Rhee Syng-man era, was suspicious of Post-WWII Japan. Korea assumed that Japan's economic recovery would allow them to regain influence over Asia. (For more on Rhee's suspicions of Japan and this complicating alliances among anti-Communist Asian countries, see: CSR 2020: “One Arch Enemy” or “Two-Fold Danger” - The Failed Alliance in Non-Communist Asia by Hao Chen)
- (09:25) "Pyongyang is only 38km from the De-Militarized Zone:" That would be Seoul, which is 37 *miles* (=~60Km) from the DMZ; Pyongyang is 210Km away. This gives NoKos significant advantage in defensive buffers from front-line attacks.
- (44:50) on Korea's Russia policy: to add, Korea's defense/space sector also has had signficant Russian support. The 1990s "Brown Bear Project" of Korea purchasing Russian weapons included T-80U, Metis-M, Murena-class LCAC, 2 Kiev-class aircraft carriers (scrapped in Korea), and rumours of a nuclear-propulsion submarine. Korea's first space rocket Naro had a Russian 1st-stage rocket.
- (1:05:40) the Korean assessment of the Joint Strike Ship vessel was that: 15x Heavy VLS for the Hyunmoo-IVs; the 2x (actually 4x) launching systems for Hyunmoo-V bunker busters; 1 erected launcher at the far back for rapid-launch military recon satellites.

[endjfcar]

As a recent former ROK Air Force conscriptovich that manned KM167A3 VADS near DMZ, this was a welcome suprise!

I love all of your videos! This was bang on! 🇰🇷👍👍

[kyouhyung]

Interesting fact: UN has ever had only one military force that was formed to actually fight a war. It is the United Nations Command that fought the Korean war. Today it's much downsized and is more of a token entity, but still is technically active.

[Ralathon]

I'm a bit late to comment on this, but as a former American soldier who was stationed in Korea, this has been something I've very much looked forward to.

One way I believe that really shows how unique the relationship is with South Korea is the KATUSA program. KATUSA stands for Korean augmentation to the United States army, wherein Korean soldiers will literally be statiomed inside your units and take orders from American chains of command in addition to their own. No other country in the world does this. Not only does it help improve communication, but in a very real sense, it creates a bond between soldiers and respective countries. KATUSAs were some on the best dudes around, and if it was ever our duty to fight for Korea, I'd reup in a heartbeat.

[MakalaDoulos]

While posted in China 2015-2018 I had the distinct privilege of teaching politics and worldviews courses at a high end college prep school. Most of my students were from ROK, with a mix of Chinese and other nationalities. … I was impressed by the calibre of my 12th grade Korean young men who were studying for not only success, but cared much about their country. I often got a little teary eyed when I saw the pictures come back the next year from them as many had gone directly into the ROK military. Nearly to a man, they already had the “bearing” and presence of warriors…. Said simply: if someone picks a fight with these people, they are going to have to overcome much more than the iron and mass of the ROK military. They are going to face a few hundred thousand of “300 movie” type warriors who will not back down. … absolute respect for the ROK military is a really good idea.

[evilwelshman]

I hope I'm not the only one. However, I love, love, LOVE these deep dives into an individual country's defense strategy. It helps flesh out and helps people understand why those militaries are shaped the way that they are, the compromises and rationales that went into those decisions, and where they see themselves in global geopolitics. I'm not sure how these do for views and engagement but I would really like if Perun continues this series.

Onto wish lists, what countries would be interesting to cover? IMO small but powerful nation states like Singapore and Israel might be interesting to see. Likewise, those with ongoing unique needs / priorities such as Mexico (with its war on drugs) could also be interesting to see too.

[gretalaube]

My dad fought in Korea. I grew up with a Korean flag signed by both army's soldiers hanging in the basement. Dad used to tease me: "Ceasefire's over! Pack!" So, yes, Korea's well being is on my mind.

[bangmo]

As for the alliance..

There are 4 bilateral alliances US has made: Japan(1951 substituted by 1960 version), Philippines (1951), Korea(1953), UK(1958).

Japan 1950. A treaty between the occupier and the occupied. The US retained the power to use force against political instability in Japan.

Japan 1960: The power for intervention removed. Still Japan is confined to self defense. And the US has the explicit power to use bases in Japan for military purposes other than the defense of Japan, with the minimal level of 'prior consultation'. As for the Korean contingency, this consultation is not required.

Philippines 1951. Mutual defense. No obligation for stationing US forces.

UK 1958. Nuke technology sharing treaty. Not a proper defense treaty. A technology ‘licensing’ treaty for atomic bombs and nuclear submarines.

Korea 1953: A proper mutual defense treaty. Korea is obliged to fight when the Pacific area of the US is attacked. The US is obliged to station forces in Korea. A peer-to-peer treaty between the absolute superpower and the absolute poorest wretched.

Eisenhauer perceived the US-ROK treaty quite humiliating and dangerous. It automatically draws the US into an all-out war if Korea is ever attacked.

With regard to Japan, the US obligation to defend Japan is justifiable since Japan is ‘half’ disarmed by the US and provides bases to be used for any purpose the US would like. Of course, Japan is not obliged to fight in case the US is ever attacked. It would be illogical since Japan is allowed only self-defense.

Dulles (then the Secretary of the State) and some US generals (especially Gen. James Alward Van Fleet) supported the US=ROK treaty. Still Eisenhower had been obstinate. Dr. Rhee, the first president, refused to sign the Armistice Treaty and threatened to continue the war no matter what, with whatever weapons available, if the US had not signed.

The treaty came into effect as of Oct. 1st, 1953. Just 2 months after the armistice. October 1st is “Armed Forces Day” in Korea (used to be a holiday) with a big parade. By the way, the memorial day of Korea is June 6th (the Normandy Landing day).

There is innate militancy against China, NK and totalitarianism in SK. Since 1971’s rapprochement between the US and China, and since the China-Love of the US started in 1989 (when Buch sent his NSA Scowcroft to Deung just after the massacre), Korea became almost a bad asset to the global strategy of the US. Korea came to be perceived as ‘too hot-headed and militant.’ A tension between the US strategy and the Korean identity.

This tension has been one of the drives behind the Korean Self-Reliant Defense.

I am happy to see the US has finally overcome the China-Love. Sinophile. You cannot expect a communist leftover to become a nice regime automatically if you put it in a world market. The global market is not omnipotent.

[dashcamsydney]

I’m Australian and my dad worked for Hyundai Heavy Industries translating the MBT manuals from English to Korean at a time where Wikipedia and google didn’t exist. Massive respect and pride, especially after my father quit on the principle of pacifism. Thank you for the consistently high quality content. If you need any help with Korean documents, I’d be happy to assist.

[fXBorgmeister]

I really want to see a reality TV show where contestants from companies regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority attempt to design and build a Main Battle Tank. That would be platinum+ telly.

[rusty]

I have an MA in Korean history and culture - your history section was spot on and well informed. Cheers :) (I lived in Korea for 6 years, three of which were spent on an island a few kilometers from the NK border.)

[Mzerron]

I'm still amazed at how ROK has handled everything since the Korean war ceasefire happened. Their economic and defense ideologies definitely make sense, especially when the DPK is within artillery range. Good work as always, and I'm looking forward to the next one!

[exharkhun]

So basically the South Korean military is what we thought the Russian army was: Combined arms, lots of armor, more artillery, as many MLRS's as you can cram in. Only minus the bling, the bluster and the generals with dasha's & superyacht's.

[mspotato]

I gotta say, i have mad respect for anyone who can put out a one hour video, with an entire slideshow presentation, sound, incredible research and extreme effort each week. Keep up the work man, love you.❤

[bangmo]

As for military history...

Korea is a moutainous terrain with the backbone mountains running from north to south, on the eastern flank of the peninsula.

Tens of rivers running from east to west .. a lot of creeks and valleys.

There are more than 3, 000 islands, most of which are concentrated on the Southwestern and Southern coast of the peninsula.

One of the oldest land mass on the planet. Very thin top soil. Rocks and granite pebbles everywhere. Creeks and burshes every where.

Annual precipitation is around 1, 400 mm thanks to the monsoon. Brushes and woods are very thick. Winter is very long and bitingly cold (even though the latutude of Seoul is same with Athenes and Madrid). The temperature of Seoul can go down to minus 15 to 20 degrees Celcius in January.

Very hostile environment for invaders: mountains, rivers, creeks, brushes, woods, sea, islands...

(Because of the thin top soil and rocks and pebbles) Mounted or chariot forces could not invade this peninsula until the end of 10th century when cokes and nailed-horse-shoes started to be widely used. Cokes is important for horse-shoes. A smith shop should move with the horses. Compact, high-energy char like cokes is essential.

By this time, Koreans had consolidated a unified strong polity for 500 years. Korea has the longest history in the world for stable, constant people.culture, unified government .. About 1, 500 years.. No population replacement (like that from Celt to Anglo-Saxon), no culture replacement/fault-line (like that from Alnglo-Saxon to Norman Viking).

This is why China has failed to incorporate Korea. Even Mongols fought more than 20 years before Korean King waived Kubilai the olive twig. The Korean 'support/surrender' gave him a kind of presige which helped him to be the numebr one heir to the Mongol empire. He became the first emperor of the Yuan dynasty.

Korean strategy for the last 2, 000 years is to increae the cost of conquerring and ruling to the point that there is no point(cost-benifit case) for conquerring and ruling. China knows it.