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 #:~:text=The country imports almost 94.8,its total amount of 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