Ministry reduces defense budget, delays troop cuts

The Ministry of National Defense in Seoul has adjusted plans for an overhaul of national defense, citing the worsening economy and changing security environment, the JoongAng Ilbo has learned.

Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee reported changes to the Defense Reform 2020 project at a meeting of the National Assembly’s National Defense Committee on April 30.

The project, which was set up in 2005, calls for increasing the defense budget to help modernize South Korea’s weapons systems and restructure the armed forces by the year 2020.

The presentation was held behind closed doors but participants said the defense minister reduced the targeted amount of cumulative spending on defense from 621 trillion won ($488.1 billion) to 599 trillion won.

Minister Lee was accompanied by Gen. Kim Tae-young, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Gen. Lim Choung-bin, the Army chief of staff; Gen. Jung Ok-geun, the Navy chief of staff; and Gen. Lee Gye-hun, the Air Force chief of staff, according to sources.

Lee has also made changes to plans to reduce manpower, sources claim. The ministry was to cut the number of soldiers from the current level of 680,000 to 500,000 by 2020, but the target has been pushed up to 517,000, sources said.

Participants in the meeting explained that the Defense Ministry wants to ensure South Korea has acquired sufficient high-tech weaponry before substantially cutting its armed forces. Also, sources said the threat posed by North Korean Special Forces operatives makes it necessary to maintain a certain level of manpower.

According to sources, the Defense Ministry said it wanted to present a more realistic budget rather than ask for a larger sum and risk having it reduced to a point that would make weapons for immediate needs too costly.

From 2006 to 2008, the ministry saw the defense budget slashed by 2.5 trillion won.

Sources added that the budget had been adjusted in response to the sluggish economy.

The logic is that the South could continue to rely on its alliance with the United States for its defense until the economy bounces back.

Before the April 30 report to the committee, the Defense Ministry received a positive response from the Blue House on the proposal, sources said. They added that the ministry will likely finalize changes to the Defense Reform 2020 project by mid-June.

The committee said it will hold a further round of discussions on proposed changes sometime this month.

By Kang Chan-ho [jeeho@joongang.co.kr]