The Republic of Korea Approaches the Future

T he Republic of Korea (ROK) has embarked on a journey that could transform its military in the next ten to twenty years. As a key U.S. ally, its force structure, along with underlying assumptions and doctrine, will have great impact on alliance maintenance, interoperability, and operations. If Washington desires a long-term coalition relationship with Seoul, especially in a post-unification timeframe, knowing the direction of the development of Korean forces can enable a considered decision on whether and to what degree it should be part of the process. This article discusses where Korea is taking its military. The Ministry of National Defense (MND) initiated an institutionalized reform by creating the National Defense Reform Committee (NDRC) in April 1998. The committee reports directly to the defense minister and has a five-year charter (1998–2003) covering nearly every aspect of the defense establishment and structure from barracks culture to strategic concepts, from acquisition to force structure. Lieutenant Colonel Jiyul Kim, USA, is on the Korean desk in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs and Major Michael J. Finnegan, USA, is the Korea country director in the directorate of Strategy and Policy, J-5, U.S. Pacific Command. The Republic of Korea Approaches the Future