September 13, 2005

South Korea increased it's defense spending ten percent this year, to $20 billion. Plans are to continue increasing such spending over the next fifteen years, and transform the South Korean army from a large force of conscripts, to a smaller high tech force containing many more, higher paid, volunteers. The south sees this, the "American approach" as superior and proven. The south also believes that the North Korean military is in terminal decline. Over a decade of famine and extreme poverty has caused severe reductions in maintenance and training in the North Korean military. This has sharply lowered the combat capabilities of the northern force.