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South Korea unveils plan to boost military power

Thursday, 29 December 2022 5:59 PM [ Last Update: Thursday, 29 December 2022 5:59 PM ]

Frank Smith
Press TV, Seoul

South Korea plans to significantly boost military spending over the next five years; an annual increase of nearly seven percent.

The eastern Asian country aims to spend over 440 million dollars on anti-drone weapons alone. The announcement comes only days after North Korea flew drones into the South’s territory for the first time in five years.

According to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, five North Korean drones Monday flew across the border together, and then broke formation. Four of them headed to islands in the West Sea. One of the drones continued south, reaching the skies over the outskirts of the capital, Seoul.

It was the first such incident since 2017, when a drone crossed into South Korea and photographed a US base there. South Korea President Yoon Suk-yeol, a conservative who came to office in May of this year, has blamed the previous progressive government's policy of engaging Pyongyang for the recent incident.

South Korea plans more joint military exercises with the US for 2023 although much of the public wants talks with North Korea and de-escalation of tensions.

Meanwhile, North Korea has unveiled new goals for the country’s military. Addressing a large committee meeting of the ruling Workers' Party, leader Kim Jong-un indicated on Wednesday that the country will continue its military developments in 2023 after a record year of missile testing.

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