Korea, South

According to the data from SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute) the RoK had the world’s 10th largest defence budget in 2018, just behind Japan. The National Assembly of the RoK approved for the fiscal year of 2020 the proposed by the government defence budget of 50.152 Trillion Won, which later was revised to 49.25 Trillion Won (US$40.34 Billion) due to the consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

For 2021, the Ministry of Defence asked from the South Korean Government 52.92 Trillion Won (US$44.73 Billion) for its annual budget.  This would be the first time that the defence budget of the RoK surpassed the 50 Trillion Won threshold and according to President’s Moon Jae-in “Defence Reform 2.0” program the defence budget of the country will be increasing every year until 2023 by 7.5%.

During 2020, the Ministry of Defence was planning to spend, US$14.87 Billion (16.68 Trillion Won) on arms procurements and US$29.85 Billion (33.47 Trillion Won) for managing military assets and forces, but as it was mentioned the Defense Budget eventually was reduced due to COVID-19.. It is important to mention that the government of the RoK had earmarked for 2020, US$5.54 Billion (6.22 Trillion Won) for projects to counter threats from nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction.

Furthermore, US$1.75 Billion (1.97 Trillion Won) had been earmarked for the implementation of projects such as securing military communication and counter-artillery assets, while US$5.34 Billion (5.99 Trillion Won) had been allocated in order to maximize the latest technologies for the defence industries and the restructuring of its organization.

General Information

Republic of Korea (RoK) or South Korea, occupies the southern portion of the Korean peninsula and makes up about 45% of the peninsula’s land area. South Korea is a Presidential representative multi-party Democratic Republic, where the President is the head of State. The government exercises Executive power and Legislative power, the Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature and comprises a Supreme Court, appellate courts and a Constitutional Court.

The President is elected by direct popular vote for a single five-year term, is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and enjoys considerable executive powers. The President appoints the Prime Minister with the approval of the National Assembly of South Korea, can appoint and preside over the State Council of chief Ministers as the head of Government. The National Assembly has 300 members, elected for a four-year term.

History

The first recorded Korean kingdom was Gojoseon established in 2333 BCE by Dangun Wanggeom, located in the north of the peninsula and Manchuria. In 108 BCE, the Chinese Han dynasty defeated Wiman Joseon the King of Gojoseon and installed four commanderies in the northern Korean peninsula, with the last one retaining its power until 313 AD when it was conquered by the forces of the Korean kingdom Goguryeo (37 BC – 668 AD) located in the northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula and the southern and central parts of Manchuria.

The next historical period of Korea was the “Proto-Three Kingdoms” period, a time before the rise of the “Three Kingdoms of Korea”. During this period several States were created, among them the States of Dongbuyeo and Bukbuyeo. The period of the “Three Kingdoms” covers the period 57 BC to 668 AD during which the Kingdoms Baekje and Silla (located in the southern part of the peninsula) and Goguryeo (located in the northern part of the peninsula) were established. The three Kingdoms occupied the entire Korean Peninsula and half of Manchuria.

The unification for the first time of the three Korean Kingdoms took place in 667 AD under the military power of the Kingdom of Silla, forming a united Korean national identity for the first time. At the north of the peninsula another Kingdom Balhae was established after the collapse of the Kingdom of Goguryeo.

The two Kingdoms were eventually annexed by the Kingdom Goryeo and their historical period between 668-935 AD was called as the North-South States Period. The Kingdom of Goryeo was founded in 918 AD and gradually annexed the Korean Kingdoms unifying and ruling the Korean Peninsula until 1392 AD. The Goryeo dynasty was succeeded by the Joseon dynasty which lasted till 1897. Throughout the five centuries of the rule of the Joseon dynasty (1392–1897), the Korean Peninsula was invaded by five different countries.

First were the Japanese invasions (1592–1598), which were followed by the Second Manchu invasion which occurred in the winter of 1636, when the newly established Chinese Manchu Qing dynasty invaded Korea's Joseon kingdom. The third invasion was done by the French in 1866 which was a punitive expedition undertaken by the Second French Empire in retaliation for the earlier Korean execution of seven French Catholic missionaries.The fourth was a United States expedition to Korea. This military operation was done in order to support an American diplomatic delegation sent to establish trade and political relations with the peninsular nation. Finally, the “Geomun Island Incident” which included the occupation of the Geomundo, a small group of islands in the Jeju Strait off the southern coast of the Korean Peninsula, by the Royal Navy from 15th of April 1885 to 27th of February 1887.

The beginning of the 20th century found Korea under the control of the Empire of Japan, first as a protectorate State in 1905 and then annexed by Tokyo in 1910, through the Japan–Korea Annexation Treaty. This status lasted until Japan's unconditional surrender to the Allied Forces on 15 August 1945 and confirmed to be null and void in 1965.

The end of the WW II found the Korean Peninsula divided in two regions, the area north of the 38th parallel controlled by USSR and the south area controlled by the USA. After three years of pointless negotiations between the USSR and the USA with main subject the establishment of a National Government, Washington submitted the Korean question to the United Nations General Assembly.

The First Republic of South Korea was established in August 1948 and adopted a Presidential system. The first elected President was Syngman Rhee. Several months later on the 12th of December 1948, the General Assembly of the United Nations recognized the Republic of Korea (RoK) as the sole legal government of Korea and 18 months later, North Korea invaded the South, starting a war that destroyed the Peninsula and lasted for more than three years (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953).

Geography

Republic of Korea is located at the southern part of the Korean peninsula and makes up about 44.8% of the peninsula’s land area. The total area of the country is 99,720 km² (land: 96,920 km², inland water: 2,800 km²). The length of the coastline is 2,413km, the territorial sea is 12 n.m and between 3-12 n.m in the Korea Strait.

The contiguous zone of the RoK is 24 n.m and the exclusive economic zone is 200 n.m. The country is bordered by the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea (DPRNK) to the north, where a 4km wide and 238km long demilitarized zone exists since the end of the War in 1953.

The RoK is bordered to the East Sea (or Sea of Japan) to the east, the East China Sea to the south and the Yellow Sea to the west. The RoK is separated to the southeast from the Japanese island of Tsushima by the Korean Strait. The terrain of the country is largely mountainous with small valleys and narrow coastal plains. The T’aebaek mountains (elevation of 1,708 meters) run a north-south direction along the eastern coastline while Sobaek Mountains (elevation of 1,915 meters) undulate in a long S-Shape across the peninsula. The highest peak in South Korea, the extinct volcano Mount Halla on Cheju island is 1,950 meters.

In addition to that the RoK has two volcanic islands Ullung and Cheju 140km east of the mainland in the East Sea, Liancourt Rocks in the Sea of Japan and Ganghwa island at the mouth of the river Han. The longest river of the RoK is Naktong and runs southward for 523km to the Korea strait. Nearly all the rivers of the country flow westward or southward into either the Yellow Sea or the East China Sea.

South Korea’s climate is characterized by a cold relatively dry winter and a hot humid summer. The annual range of temperature is greater in the north and in interior regions of the peninsula than in the south and along the coast. The greatest influence on the climate of the Korean peninsula is its proximity to the main Asian landmass which produces the marked summer winter temperature extremes of a continental climate and establishes the northeast Asian seasonal winds that affect precipitation patterns.

The Ethnic Groups and Religions of South Korea

The population of the RoK in 2019 was 51.7 million people (Koreans 49,977,551 and foreigners 1,651,561) increased by 0.2% compared to 2018 and according to the Encyclopedia Britannica consisted of 97.7% Koreans, 2% Japanese, 0.1% U.S White, 0.1% Han Chinese and 0.1% others. Based on recent genetic analysis of bones of populations that inhabited in Primorye kray in Far Eastern Russia for at least 7.700 years it was discovered that the Korean were related to these people.

The genes of these people were expressed alongside those of indigenous agriculturalists from Southeast Asia to produce the genetic structure of modern Koreans. In the RoK the freedom od religion is constitutionally guaranteed and there is no national religion. According to the statistics 56.1% of the population are atheists, 19.7% are protestants, 15.5% Buddhists, 7.9% Roman Catholics and 0.8% others.

The biggest city of the country and capital of the RoK is Seoul with a population of 9,733,509 in 2020. The second biggest city of South Korea is the port of Busan with a population of 3,411,829 in 2020. The third biggest city is the port of Inceon with a population of 2,954,955 in 2020, followed by the city of Daegu with a population of 2,489,802 in May 2019. Finally, the fifth biggest city of South Korea is Daejeon with a population of 1,508,120 in 2019.

According to the World Bank the average life expectancy in the RoK in 2018 was 82.6 years. The birth rate per woman in 2018 was 1.0, the death rate per 1,000 people for the same year according to “The Global Economy” was is 5.8 deaths and mortality rate, under-5 (per 1,000 live births) in 2018 was 3.2, while the Human Development Index in 2018 was 0.906

Politics and Foreign Relations of South Korea

South Korea is a member of the United Nations since September 1991. The country is a member of the following organizations WTO, OECD/DAC, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNMOGIP, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC, ASEAN Plus Three, East Asia Summit (EAS), and G-20.

It is also a member of the following organizations: ADB, AfDB (nonregional member), APEC, ARF, Australia Group, BIS, CD, CICA, CP, EAS, EBRD, FAO, FATF, G-20, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, PCA, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, NEA, NSG, OECD, OPCW.

The RoK participates as an observer to the following organizations Pacific Alliance, Paris Club, SAARC, SICA, Arctic Council, OAS, LAIA and as a partner at OSCE, PIF. The RoK is also a founding member of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the East Asia Summit.

Period from 1948-1970

Since the end of the civil war the RoK experienced a turbulent political life. The first President of the country Syngman Rhee was reelected in July 1948, August 1952 and in May 1956. He was elected for a fourth time in March 1960 but accusations that the elections had been fraudulent and massive student demonstrations with several dead people forced Rhee to resign on 25th of April 1960 and flee to Hawaii where he died in 1965.

Rhee was succeeded by President Yun Posun who stayed at office for two years only and was replaced on March 1962 by Lt-General Park Chung-hee, as a result of the May 16 military coup in 1961. The new President Lt-General Park Chung-hee dissolved the National Assembly and imposed a strict ban on political activity. The control of the government was taken by Park and the Supreme Council for National Reconstruction (SCNR).

Park began a series of social and economic policies that brought rapid economic growth and industrialization to the nation. Park Chung-hee was elected on October 1963 and re-elected in May 1967 and in April 1971. In December 1971 Park declared the country to a state of national emergency, suspended the constitution and dissolved the legislature. Furthermore, Park established the National Conference of Unification (NCU) in order to pursue peaceful unification of the country. The NCU had between 2,000-5,000 members who were directly elected by the people. These members until 1987 had the right to elect the President of the country.

During his Presidency, the relations with DPRNK were intense and several dramatic incidents took place. In 1964 DPRNK created an underground group the “Revolutionary Party for Reunification”. The group was eliminated by South Korean authorities by 1969. The same year four South Korean agents crossed DMZ and killed 13 North Korean soldiers, while another group of South Korean agents tried to assassinate a Korean People's Army division commander During October 1966 – October 1969 a series of skirmishes along the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), resulted to the death of 43 American, 299 South Korean and 397 North Korean soldiers.

The most “dramatic” that happened during Park Chung-hee Presidency was the attempt of DPRNK to assassinate him at the official residence of the President in Seoul. Known as the “Blue House Raid”, the attempt happened in 1968 when a 31-man detachment from the Korean People's Army “Unit 124” secretly crossed the DMZ on a mission to kill South Korean President Park Chung-hee on the 21st of January 1968 at the official residence of the President of the RoK the “Blue House” in Seoul. The DPRNK operation failed, but resulted to the death of 28 North Koreans, 26 South Koreans and 3 Americans.

Few days later, Korean People's Navy attacked and captured the U.S. Navy intelligence ship USS Pueblo, in the Sea of Japan. The crew of the boat was release on December 23, 1968. Late 1968 members of the North Korea’s Army “Unit 124” land on the northeast shore of the RoK, in order to establish a base to wage a guerrilla war against the South Korean government. Almost all of them were neutralized by the South Korean Army.

Throughout 1969 in total 42 American military personnel were killed by DPRNK in three different events. At the end of 1969, a North Korean agent hijacked a Korean Air Lines aircraft and forced it to fly to DPRNK.

Period from 1970-1980

In 1972 Park was re-elected without opposition and was elected again in 1978, but on October 1979 Park was assassinated by the director of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA) and Choi-Kyu-Hah became the acting President of the RoK. During this period (1970 – 1980), the two sides continued to have intense relations.

In 1974 three North Korean gunboats attacked and sank a South Korean Coast Guard patrol craft in the Sea of Japan, killing 26 South Korean coast guardsmen. The same year the South Korean authorities discovered the first infiltration tunnels. More infiltration tunnels were discovered in 1975, 1978 and 1980, In 1977 a U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter was shot down, after straying into the north over the DMZ. Three airmen were killed, and one was briefly held prisoner.

Period from 1980-1990

In August 1980 General (ret.) Chun-Doo-Hwan was elected from the NCU, as the new President of South Korea. Among the first things he did was to vote for a new constitution and in 1981 he lifted the martial law. In February 1981 General (ret.) Chun-Doo-Hwan was elected as the new President of the country under the new constitution and stayed in power till 1988 serving two terms during which he implemented a program of constitutional reforms, restoring democratic institutions and basic civil rights that had been usurped under military rule. Till the beginning of 1980’s the foreign policy of South Korea aimed to retain three goals, a) enhancing political legitimacy, b) military security, c) economic development by maintaining close ties with the West.

During the 1980’s South Korea started to implement a new policy which promoted the expansion of its diplomatic horizons by launching the ambitious “Nordpolitik”.

In December 1987 the new President of South Korea was elected. General (ret.) Roh Tae-woo continued the on-going re-establishment of democracy and initiated the so-called “northern diplomacy”, an attempt to establish diplomatic ties with Hungary, Poland, Yugoslavia in 1989, with USSR in 1990 and with China in 1992 by implementing the “Nordpolitik”. The basic dilemma of the “Nordpolitik” policy appeared to be how to reconcile the traditional ties of South Korea with the West with its new opportunities in the East. According to the South Korea policymakers the economic and military reliance of the country on the West was excessive and too lengthy. The RoK sought to correct this situation by establishing its own self-reliant global posture.

South Korea desired in the 1980’s to be less dependent and improved its relations with Eastern Europe the USSR and China. Simultaneously, the “Nordpolitik” policy caused an anti-Americanism feeling accompanied by increasing demands for economic and political democracy. Finally, the “Nordpolitik” involved the pursuit of wide-ranging relations with socialists’ countries and dialogue with North Korea by solicitating assistance and cooperation from DPRNK socialists’ allies. By 1990 this policy towards DPRNK did not produce the expected results, since it did not improve the relations with Pyongyang.

Throughout the 1980’s DPRNK continued its aggressive policy towards the RoK with one exception. In total 11 North Koreans were killed, while they were trying to infiltrate into South Korea in 1980, 1981, 1982, while in 1987 one American soldier and two North Korean soldiers died during a firefight. In 1987 North Korean agents put a bomb in a Korean Air Boeing 707 aircraft (flight KAL 858) flying from Abu Dhabi to Thailand, killing 115 passengers and crew.

The only positive exception was the delivery of relief goods to South Korea from DPRNK, after a typhoon caused devastating floods in 1984. The beginning of the new decade was marked with the election for the first time since the 1960’s of a non-military President.

Period from 1990-2000

Kim Young-sam was elected as the new President of the country in late 1992 and was inaugurated on 25 February 1993. The new President started a campaign against corruption, purged thousands of political bureaucrats, military leaders and businessmen and he released thousands political prisoners. Throughout this decade, the North Koreans continued their aggressive policy towards South Korea and several “hot” incidents took place.

In March 1990, South Korean Army discovered the fourth North Korean infiltration tunnel. In December 17, 1994, a U.S. Army OH-58A+ Kiowa helicopter crosses 10km into North Korean territory and was shot down. In April and May 1996, several armed North Korean troops enter the DMZ in violation of the Korean armistice agreement. In May and June 1996, North Korean vessels twice cross the Northern Limit Line (NLL) and have a several-hour standoff with the South Korean Navy.

In September 1996, a North Korean Sang-O class submarine inserts reconnaissance team and runs aground on the east coast of South Korea near Jeongdongjin, 20 kilometres south-east of Gangneung, Gangwon-do, leading to a manhunt for the crewmen and the reconnaissance team. The North Korean aggressive actions at sea continue in 1997, when three North Korean vessels cross the NLL and attack South Korean vessels, two miles south of the NLL. Next year, in 1998 a North Korean Yugo-class midget submarine, became entangled in a fishing driftnet. The submarine was eventually salvaged by the South Koreans and the bodies of nine crewmen were recovered all dead by gunshot wounds.

The most serious naval incident between the two countries happened in June 1999. The First Battle of Yeonpyeong, as it is called, took place in the Yellow Sea near the NLL and included a series of clashes between North and South Korean vessels. In December 1997, the opposition candidate Kim Dae-jung was elected as the new President of the RoK and was inaugurated on 25 February 1998 initiating the “Sunshine Policy” towards DPRNK.This new policy resulted to the 2000 historic summit between Kim Dae-jung and Kim Jong II and the expansion of the public and private contacts between the two Koreas.

Period from 2000-2010

In 2003 President Roh Moo-Hyun succeeded Kim Dae-jung and was inaugurated on 25 February 2004. The new President was pro-leftist and a strong supporter of democratic reforms but faced strong opposition from the more conservative Grand National Party and in 2004 he was impeached by the National Assembly. In 2007 Lee Myung-Bak, the former mayor of Seoul and Grand National Party candidate, won the elections and was inaugurated on 25 February 2008.

During this decade, DPRNK continued its aggressive and infiltration policy mostly using its Naval forces. In 2001 on twelve separate occasions, North Korean vessels cross the NLL and then withdraw. In June 2002, the second battle of Yeonpyeong led to the deaths of six South Korean sailors and the sinking of a South Korean vessel. The same year in November 2002 in two different occasions, South Korean forces fired warning shots on a Northern boat crossing the NLL.

Although both countries continued the dialogue that had started earlier the relations between the two countries soured in 2005 as DPRNK admitted that it possessed nuclear weapons and in October 2006 it actually test a nuclear device. In 2008 the new President of South Korea announced that his country will close the land borders with DPRNK and all nonmilitary telephone links. In January 2009 DPRNK announced that all the military, political agreements with RoK as well as the business contracts pertaining to the joint North-South Kaesong Industrial Complex will be canceled.

Seven years later another battle took place in the area of the NLL. The Battle of Daecheong as it is called took place in November 2009, where naval vessels from the two Koreas exchanged fire in the area of the NLL, causing serious damage to a North Korean patrol ship. The situation between the two countries escalated further with two major incidents taking place in 2010.

The first one was on 26th of March 2010 when a Republic of Korea Navy vessel, the ROKS Cheonan, was allegedly sunk by a North Korean torpedo near Baengnyeong Island in the Yellow Sea, and 46 sailors were killed. The second incident was the North Korean artillery attack at the island of Yeonpyeong, where two South Korean soldiers and two civilians were killed.

Period from 2010-2019

The winner of the presidential elections of 2012 was Park Geun-Hye, the daughter of Park Chung-hee, the first woman President of the RoK. Few months after her election in February 2013 North Korea conducted its third nuclear test. In December 2014, the Constitutional Court banned the left wing Unified Progressive Party after petition by the Government.

In December 2016 Park weas impeached by the National Assembly after a scandal erupted and she was removed from her position in March 2017 one year before the end of her term. During that period in January 2016 North Korea conducted another test with a low-yield fission device. At the snap elections that followed the removal of President Park Geun-Hye, the ex-leader of the Democratic Party of Korea Moon Jae-In was elected as the new President of the RoK and was inaugurated on 10 May 2017.

Few months later in July 2017 North Korea launched an ICBM resulted to the announcement of Seoul that will allow the deployment of a U.S complete THAAD anti-ballistic missiles system. Moon Jae-In born to North Korean refugees, was raised in poverty in Busan. Moon Jae-In managed to meet with the North Korean chairman three times in 2018.

In April 2018 the leaders of the two Koreas, Moon Jae-In and Kim Jong-un signed a joint declaration pledging to work toward “complete denuclearization, a nuclear-free Korean peninsula”   On June 30, 2019, Moon participated in a historical meeting with both North Korean chairman Kim Jong-un and the United States president Donald Trump at the Korean Demilitarized Zone. Moon Jae-In supports the peaceful reunification of DPRNK and the RoK..