Defense industry of South Korea
In contrast, North Korea had significantly more personnel and benefited from the Chinese and Soviets in the form of rigorous training, manpower, military organization, and the supply of various weapons.
A drive for the ROK military to be better equipped and trained gradually emerged, but economic underdevelopment and instability prevented the country from developing its own defense industry, forcing reliance on the US until the late 1960s.
[3][4][5] In 1969, President Richard Nixon announced that the United States would begin to reduce its military presence in Asia and allow its Asian allies to be in charge of their own security.
The result of decreasing American commitment, combined with fresh memories of North Korean military provocations, forced South Korea to become self-reliant.
[4] Concurrently, President Park implemented reforms and policies to industrialize South Korea, paving the way for massive economic growth.
[10][7] The country's shipbuilding industry in particular experienced rapid success as South Korea indigenously developed the Chamsuri-class patrol boat, which entered service in 1979.
As the country was under a military dictatorship at the time, policies and decision-making related to the defense industry were highly centralized under President Park and his technocrats in the Blue House, especially O Wonchol.
[10] Following the assassination of Park Chung-hee in 1979, South Korea experienced economic difficulties as well as political and social turmoil, lasting through the transition from the Fourth Republic to the Fifth.
In the late 1970s, internal economic problems emerged from South Korea's rapid development due to the over-emphasis on heavy and chemical industries.
[1] The lack of proper investment and planning led to wasteful spending, and the economy began to experience an alarming increase in inflation rate.
[10] As a result of the economic, political, and social crisis gripping South Korea in the early 1980s, President Chun Doo-hwan implemented reforms and changes to stabilize the country again.
[9] Between the late 1980s and early 1990s, South Korea and its defense industry, under different administrations, experienced drastic changes due to both domestic and international events.
Part of the reform involved reducing the size of the armed forces from 650,000 to 500,000 by 2020, counterbalanced by the procurement of new assets to improve, develop, and/or expand its operations.
[13] Likewise, the air force upgraded its own capabilities by acquiring its own "high-low mix" of fighters (i.e., F-15K), attack helicopters, surface-to-air missiles, aerial refueling, and airborne early warning and control aircraft.
In the 2010s, amidst rising Chinese militarization, a resurgence of Russian bellicose activity, and the growing uncertainty of American security assurances, countries from Southeast Asia and Europe began to strengthen and upsize their militaries.
[24] Another program involves funding small to medium-sized enterprises to develop prototype components and/or subsystems to replace imported versions of the same parts.
[25][26] A further boost to the import substitution program came on 15 September 2020, when DAPA and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) signed an agreement to collaborate on producing indigenous components for military platforms.
[29] South Korea's defense industry initially produced copies or license-produced variants of foreign weapons to meet the demands of its military.
The rivalry between the aircraft companies reduced their competitiveness, and the South Korean government was in desperate need of a more streamlined aerospace manufacturer for the country.
Part of this desire is to match China and Japan's growing naval development and capabilities, as South Korea has territorial disputes with both countries.
[46] Most of South Korea's domestic weapons are produced for its ground forces, as its military is primarily designed to fight a potential North Korean land invasion.
[20][54] Despite some failed bids, the T-50 has been exported to the Philippines, Iraq, Indonesia, and Thailand, as well as to a number of countries expressing interest in procuring the aircraft, such as Argentina.
Armed variants have been showcased to attract customers from Southeast Asia, South America, and Africa who are in need of both utility and attack helicopters.
[16][20][73] On 3 September 2020, Australia announced that 30 K9 Thunders and 15 K10 ammunition resupply vehicles would be purchased for ₩1 trillion ($843 million) as part of the country's Land 8116 Artillery Replacement project.
While these efforts were made to get skilled engineers and scientists for the defense industry, these well-educated Koreans will also go on to improve the private sector and academic training institutions across the country.
This would mean that the defense industry contributed greatly to employment opportunities as well as a production shift from conventional arms to more advanced weapon systems.
In April 2015, the US denied the transfer of an AESA radar, electro-optical targeting pod, infrared search and track systems, and radio frequency jammer to South Korea for their KF-X fighter program.
This was considered a major setback as it forced South Korea to develop the four key technologies on its own, increasing costs and delaying the KF-X project further.
However, reliability and durability problems in both components forced South Korea to import German powerpacks using MTU engines and Renk transmissions.
[106][107] While South Korea's defense industry has greatly contributed to employment in the past, it has been reported to create very few job opportunities in recent times.
