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The South Korean military marks its 60th birthday this year. Launched in September 1948 with 50,000 troops armed with Type 99 rifles left behind by the Japanese occupying forces, it has grown into a 680,000-strong force that ranks ninth in the world in terms of military spending. South Korea became the fifth country in the world to own Aegis destroyers, while developing homegrown technology such as a tank that can operate after being completely submerged in water.
Born on a divided peninsula, it carries the responsibility of facing off with North Korea, while having to prepare for eventual reunification and possible changes in the security situation here. But even if times change, the military must uphold its duties stipulated in Article 5, Clause 2 of our Constitution to defend our land and guarantee our safety.
North Korea¡¯s military is made up of 1.17 million soldiers, which accounts for around 5 percent of its population: it is a country of soldiers. In spite of almost 20 years of poverty and starvation, North Korea continues to place top priority on military spending. In an emergency, 1,000 North Korean artillery pieces situated just across the border are said to be able to fire as many as 25,000 rounds an hour into South Korea. Following the successful testing of a nuclear device in September 2006, the traditional comparison of the military levels of the two Koreas has become meaningless.
In contrast, U.S. troops stationed in South Korea are moving further south of the border with North Korea, and the U.S. will hand wartime military control back to South Korea in 2012. In the absence of U.S. anti-artillery radar and precision bombing support, South Korea must develop its own ability to counter North Korean artillery attacks.
If a new level of cooperation is found after the handover of wartime military control, we need a clear division of responsibilities and proper training determining what strategies the South Korean military will use and what types of support U.S. troops will provide.
In an emergency where the North Korean regime loses its grip on its military, the Korean peninsula will fall into confusion. A friendship treaty North Korea and China signed in 1961 requires both countries to provide prompt military assistance and other types of aid if the other side faces a war. As North Korean leader Kim Jong-il¡¯s health deteriorates, a sudden change in the communist country¡¯s stability has become a real possibility. Our military can wait no longer to come up with a strategy to deal with such sudden changes.
If we look down to road to a reunified Korean peninsula, we have no choice but to include the prospects of Chinese stealth fighters and anti-satellite missiles, and Japanese early-warning and surveillance satellites into our defense scenario. We must realize that our task is to find a way to ensure our safety in an environment where we are positioned between the world¡¯s second and third largest economic powers.
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