President Lee Jae-myung said on the 1st that his government will upgrade the Korean three-axis system to detect, intercept and respond to missile threats at an early stage.
Speaking at the 78th Armed Forces Day ceremony held on the runway at Gyeryongdae in South Chungcheong Province, Lee said the security environment South Korea faces makes it difficult to see even one step ahead. "Force has increasingly taken precedence over norms, and conflicts are deepening in many parts of the world," he said. He added that advanced technologies spanning artificial intelligence, drones, robotics, space and cyber are changing the very nature of warfare, and that a demographic cliff and a shrinking pool of conscripts pose another challenge.
Lee said strong defense reform is the only way to overcome those challenges, and laid out four priorities: a leap to a smart, elite military; upgrading the Korean three-axis system; the creation of a National Armed Forces Academy; and a shift to a selective volunteer military system. "We will upgrade AI and manned-unmanned teaming systems, restructure the military accordingly and redesign our overall defense posture to make the leap to a smart, elite military," he said. "In particular, we will accelerate the development of future capabilities such as high-energy laser interceptors, AI-based command and control systems and high-powered missiles, and dramatically build up deterrence and response capabilities led by our military."
He also said a National Armed Forces Academy should be established to prepare for future warfare and to train world-class elite officers capable of joint operations. "I ask that we listen to a range of views, unite the military behind this and press ahead swiftly and boldly with the creation of a National Armed Forces Academy," he said.
On the selective volunteer system, Lee said the force structure will shift toward career personnel by increasing the number of technology-intensive noncommissioned officers. "Young people will be able to choose how they serve — either as conscripts with shorter service periods, or as technology-intensive noncommissioned officers who serve longer but can plan their future through employment and education," he said.
He also stressed that strong defense capability does not come from weapons alone. "Your morale is itself defense capability," he said, adding that the government will guarantee the human rights of service members and fundamentally improve service conditions.
