Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

The National Assembly National Defense Committee held a plenary session to deliberate on and approve the 2025 defense budget.

 

Responsibilities for the Defense Ministry, Military Manpower Administration, and Defense Acquisition Program Administration were outlined.

Duty allowances for officers have been increased to KRW 50,000 on weekdays and KRW 100,000 on weekends.

The basic food project budget was significantly increased by KRW 220.2 billion to improve the quality of military meals.

Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun stated, “We are making our best efforts to ensure that essential needs are fully reflected in the budget.”

 

Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun (center) responds to questions regarding the 2025 defense budget during the National Defense Committee’s plenary session at the National Assembly on November 15.

 

The National Defense Committee has decided to increase duty allowances for officers to KRW 50,000 on weekdays and KRW 100,000 on weekends starting in 2025.

 

On November 15, the National Defense Committee held its plenary session to deliberate on and approve the 2025 defense budget, operational fund plans, and Build-Transfer-Lease (BTL) project limits. These responsibilities fall under the Defense Ministry, the Military Manpower Administration, and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration.

 

National Assembly Member Kang Dae-sik, the ruling party secretary and chair of the Subcommittee for Budget & Accounts, presented the deliberation results.

 

The defense budget review resulted in an increase of KRW 689.723 billion across 45 projects and a reduction of KRW 93.793 billion for 12 projects.

 

Among the budget increases, the basic food project received an additional KRW 220.26 billion to maintain the quality of military meals in response to rising food material costs. Additionally, the unit operation support project was increased by KRW 88.326 billion to raise officers’ duty allowances to KRW 50,000 on weekdays and KRW 100,000 on weekends.

 

Among the projects with reduced budgets, soldiers' personnel expenses were cut by KRW 64.5 billion due to a decline in enlistment rates and a decrease in enlistment-eligible manpower. The lower-than-anticipated enlistment figures resulted in a significant portion of the allocated budget remaining unused. Additionally, the government subsidy for the military broadband convergence network (M-BcN) was reduced by KRW 19.011 billion, equivalent to two months of projected 2025 expenses, as the project is expected to face a two-month delay in its implementation.

 

The subcommittee also adopted 25 recommendations from units, including the proposal to implement tax exemptions for short-term service incentive allowances.

 

The subcommittee reviewed and approved modifications to the Military Manpower Administration's budget. A total of KRW 2.166 billion was added across three projects, while KRW 256 million was deducted from one project.

 

A key addition was KRW 1.96 billion allocated to establish and operate military career design support centers in Cheongju and Jeonju to provide equal opportunities for active-duty recruitment support nationwide.

 

Starting in July next year, the Military Manpower Administration will take sole responsibility for conscription examinations, leading to a shorter training period for dedicated doctors. As a result, the budget for training these doctors was reduced by KRW 50 million.

 

Among the recommendations gathered from various units, three were adopted, including a proposal to enhance the design and quality of clothing provided to examinees during conscription examinations. This improvement aims to boost the morale of conscripts.

For the Defense Acquisition Program Administration's budget, KRW 281.526 billion was allocated as an increase across 19 projects, while KRW 231.419 billion was reduced from 19 other projects.

 

Key projects that received increased funding include the ship-based surface-to-air ballistic missile interceptor (SM-3) project, which was allocated KRW 1 billion to facilitate its launch in 2025. This initiative addresses the urgent need to counter North Korea’s submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) at high altitudes.

 

Additionally, the light armed helicopter project received a budget increase of KRW 55.2 billion to address funding shortfalls, ensure the timely delivery of the helicopters, and facilitate smooth payments to system companies and suppliers.

 

Among the projects with reduced budgets, the combat net radio project, which initially had KRW 18.2 billion allocated for the third phase of execution and delivery (including asset acquisition costs), faced a significant cut. Due to security-related concerns during implementation, the contract signing for 2025 remains uncertain. Consequently, the budget was reduced by KRW 18.139 billion, retaining only the proposal assessment expenses.

 

The 155mm precision-guided munition project also encountered budget reductions. Further reviews of GPS anti-jamming capabilities and performance requirements delayed its exploratory development contract from the original plan. As a result, KRW 6.576 billion allocated for research and development and related expenses was cut.

 

Among the recommendations submitted by units, eight were adopted. These included the preparation of an early funding plan to address the shortfall in the KF-21 Boramae project, following Indonesia's decreased contribution to development costs. This adjustment will be managed in collaboration with Korea Aerospace Industries.

 

Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun expressed gratitude for the approved budget increases, emphasizing their significance in improving officers’ allowances, enhancing the quality of military meals, and advancing weapon system projects. He assured that issues raised during the budget review would be thoroughly examined and incorporated into defense policies. He also pledged to work diligently to ensure the finalized budget bill is approved through the special committee for budget and accounts.

 

Additionally, the National Defense Committee submitted 60 legislative bills, motions, and petitions. These included a motion to extend the deployment of the Cheonghae Unit to Somalia's Gulf of Aden and a motion to extend the Akh Unit's mission to provide training support for the UAE military.

 

The submitted bills, motions, and petitions will be further reviewed and discussed by the subcommittees responsible for legislative bills and petitions.

By Chae-Mu, Im <lims86@dema.mil.kr > 

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