Page 50 - 2018 Defense White Paper

Section 3 Defense Reform 2.0

Defense reform, an imperative from the people and the duty of our time, has been long overdue. The ROK
Armed Forces will be dedicated to implementing Defense Reform 2.0 to build a strong military that supports the
peace and prosperity of the Republic of Korea with force.

1. Background

| Necessity | The security environment that the ROK Armed Forces is facing is comprised

of multiple aspects. When it comes to the security threat, there are various security threats
coming from all directions and the resulting increase of uncertainties. While recent efforts for

denuclearization and the improvement of inter-Korean relationship de-escalated the inter-
Korean military tension, uncertainties are expected to increase until a complete denuclearization
of North Korea and perpetual peace on the Korean Peninsula is achieved. At the same time,
potential threats are expected to increase as the regional powers vie for wider inf luence in the

region and engage in an escalating arms race, while transnational nonmilitary threats increase
with the spread of extremism, accelerating propagation of information technology, and frequent
natural disasters caused by climate change.

The conditions surrounding Korea’s national defense only add to the diff iculty of implementing
the policies. The “population cliff” will worsen the shortage of military human resources in 2022
and the coming years. Considering the economic conditions, Korea is expected to face difficulties

in providing suff icient support for national defense. In addition, while people demand human

National Defense Reform 2.0

48 Chapter 2 National Security Strategy and Defense Policy