How Feasible Is the Republic of Koreas Defense Reform Plan?
When the Republic of Korea (ROK) released its Defense Reform Plan (DRP), it was controversial because it included a roughly 11-percent-per-year military budget increase at a time when the ROK is downplaying the North Korean military threat. At the request of ROK National Assemblyman Jin-Ha Hwang, RAND’s National Defense Research Institute examined the feasibility of the plan and concluded that the DRP provides a useful approach to future ROK military forces that will enhance ROK capabilities against most future security challenges; the DRP clearly reflects serious consideration about how to improve ROK military capabilities, with a focus on the traditional North Korean invasion threat. However, this paper also concludes that the DRP could be strengthened by adding concepts for managing its major risks and recommends steps the ROK could take to manage the key risks identified throughout this analysis.
