Minister Ahn Kyu-baek of the Ministry of National Defense said on the 30th of last month that he plans to restructure the military to 350,000 active-duty troops and 150,000 outsourced personnel. The idea is to expand outsourcing in noncombat areas such as guard personnel to maintain a force of about 500,000 as overall troop numbers decline.
The Minister said at a press briefing on the 30th of last month, "We need to maintain a level of 500,000, so we will keep 350,000 active-duty troops focused on combat soldiers and outsource all noncombat areas such as guard personnel." He noted that U.S. Forces Korea in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, also has civilians handle noncombat roles, and said the Republic of Korea Armed Forces will have standing reservists and civilian employees take on noncombat duties to prepare for a decline in troop numbers.
The Republic of Korea Armed Forces recorded 690,000 personnel in 2002 and maintained more than 600,000 through 2017, but the figure fell to 570,000 in 2018 and has continued to decline, dropping to about 480,000 by the end of last year. Due to a decrease in manpower resources from low birthrates and shorter service terms, there is an outlook that by 2040 the force will shrink to 350,000.
Regarding Unification Minister Jeong Dong-young's call to suspend South Korea-U.S. combined exercises and training such as the "Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS)" exercise, the Minister said, "There can be differences of opinion among government ministries." He added, "Soldiers basically have to train," and said, "If North Korea stops, that's one thing, but I don't think we can unilaterally stop."
The Minister also conveyed a negative view on halting military training in the inter-Korean border areas, which has been mentioned as part of restoring the Sept. 19 inter-Korean military agreement. Saying he personally approved the recent Marine Corps live-fire drill at sea, the Minister said, "We should 'push and pull' and resolve issues through dialogue, and I think it is difficult for us to stop unilaterally." He added, "The Sept. 19 military agreement is in a temporarily suspended state and has not been scrapped," emphasizing the need to restore the agreement.
The Minister drew a line on any withdrawal or reduction of U.S. Forces Korea, saying, "There has been no discussion." On the transition of wartime operational control, he said, "We are pushing ahead systematically, stably, and proactively in accordance with the procedures and methods agreed upon between South Korea and the United States," adding, "Even at this moment, the two sides are discussing closely." He said the three-step OPCON transition process—Initial Operational Capability (IOC), Full Operational Capability (FOC), and Full Mission Capability (FMC)—is underway, and that to meet the conditions, defense spending needs to be increased by 8%.
On North Korea-Russia military cooperation, the Minister said, "North Korea is obtaining advanced technologies such as satellites and missiles in return for dispatching troops to Russia, and Russia is securing munitions through North Korea." He added, "The acceleration of North Korea's conventional force modernization and nuclear capability advancement through the accumulation of combat experience from deployments and strengthened North Korea-Russia military cooperation undermines peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and in the international community," and said, "We are also closely watching the possibility of Russian technical support related to North Korea's introduction of nuclear-powered submarines."