KF-21 Fighter Jet Mass Production Included in South Korea’s Defense Budget for 2024

Defense budget increased by 4.2% compared to this year, totaling 59.4244 trillion won
Inclusion of the KF-21 mass production project, increase in officer duty fees, and more

The South Korean Ministry of Defense confirmed on the 21st that next year’s defense budget has been set at 59.4244 trillion won ($50.2 billion). Although it was reduced from the initially planned 59.5885 trillion won, it is an increase of 4.2% compared to this year.

The defense improvement budget for military power construction and other purposes has increased by 4.4% compared to this year, totaling 17.6532 trillion won ($14.9 billion).

In detail, the KF-21 (Boramae) first mass production project, omitted during the Ministry of Defense budget arrangement, was included with 238.7 billion won ($201.6 million). The Boramae mass production project was shaken when the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA) recommended reducing the initial quantity from 40 to 20 due to “technical immaturity.”

Reflecting concerns from the opposition that “the wings of the hard-earned KF-21 should not be broken,” the budget was arranged. The Ministry of Defense emphasized that it will start the first mass production of the KF-21 next year to prevent a power vacuum due to the obsolescence of the Air Force’s old fighter jets.

Also, 300 million won ($253,000) for the research and development of the high-altitude interceptor missile (L-SAM-Ⅱ), 300 million won ($253,000) for the research and development of the medium-range ground-to-air missile (M-SAM) Block-Ⅲ, 1 billion won ($846,000) for the close-range area integrated drone system, and 1.5 billion won ($1.27 million) for the laser air defense weapon Block-Ⅰ were set aside to create conditions for timely commencement and stable project promotion.

The integrated drone system and laser air defense weapon are projects to prevent North Korean drone infiltration. The Ministry of Defense explained that through these projects, “We will further strengthen our ability to respond to North Korean nuclear and missile threats” and “We plan to improve our ability to respond to enemy drones significantly.”

The power operation cost for military power operation has been confirmed at 41.7712 trillion won ($35.3 billion), an increase of 4.2% compared to this year.

In detail, the junior officer’s duty fee, which was 10,000 won ($8.46) on weekdays and 20,000 won ($16.92) on holidays, was increased to 20,000 won ($16.92) on weekdays and 40,000 won ($33.84) on holidays.

Also, the Military Capacity Enhancement Activity Fee for Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) candidates was reformed into the Academic Life Support Fund, eliminating the 20% self-pay portion and providing full cash support. The support fund has been increased nearly threefold from 640,000 won ($541) per year to 1.8 million won ($1,521).

The Ministry of Defense said, “The ruling and opposition parties and the government have identified and reinvested in projects that allow all soldiers, including junior officers, to focus solely on their service and increase satisfaction with military service.” They added, “The projects that were reduced compared to the arrangement plan were due to differences in equipment project bidding, changes in facility projects, and construction delays.”

By. Min Jae Lee