President Lee Jae Myung sparked controversy on Sept. 21, a day before departing for New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly, by criticizing on Facebook people who believe self-reliant defense is impossible without U.S. troops, calling it a "submissive mindset."(PHOTO" Office of the President)
President Lee Jae Myung sparked controversy on Sept. 21, a day before departing for New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly, by criticizing on Facebook people who believe self-reliant defense is impossible without U.S. troops, calling it a “submissive mindset.”
Lee shared a news article highlighting the military manpower shortage stemming from low birthrates, titling his post “Opening the path to strong self-reliant defense.”
“Wars determined by the number of standing troops are a thing of the past,” wrote Lee. “We must build comprehensive national strength, including economic and cultural power, expand the defense budget, restructure into a high-morale, smart and strong military, nurture the defense industry, and strengthen security diplomacy to secure multilateral security cooperation. This is how we will become a nation that will never again be invaded and will not have to depend on others.”
He continued that “Korea’s annual defense budget is about 1.4 times North Korea’s entire GDP. Our military ranks fifth globally. Our economy is dozens of times larger than the North’s, and our population is more than twice as large. Yet despite such military, defense and national strength, some still hold the submissive mindset that self-reliant defense is impossible without foreign troops.”
Can Korea defend itself without the help of the U.S. Army?
South Korea has Formidable ROK Armed Forces. It is one of the world’s most advanced and powerful militaries. Over 500,000 active-duty troops, with a large and well-trained reserve force.
In the view of technology, South possesses a modern, indigenous defense industry capable of producing advanced systems like the K2 Black Panther battle tank, K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzer, KF-21 Boramae fighter jet (in development), and advanced submarines and destroyers (e.g., KDX-III Aegis destroyers).
Furthermore, conventional deterrence of The South Korean military holds a significant advantage over North Korea in terms of training, technology, and air and naval power. The South developed the Kill Chain and KAMD, its own sophisticated, independent defense systems.
Kill Chain (Korea Massive Punishment & Retaliation) is a preemptive strike system designed to detect imminent North Korean missile launches and neutralize them and their leadership before an attack is completed. Korea Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) is a multi-layered defense shield to intercept incoming missiles at various altitudes.
The overarching strategy of three-axis defense system, the Kill Chain, KAMD, and the Korea Massive Punishment & Retaliation (KMPR) plan to decapitate the North Korean leadership in the event of a major attack.
Economic and demographic superiority is key role in the situation. South Korea’s GDP is approximately 50 times larger than North Korea’s. This massive economic disparity allows Seoul to outspend Pyongyang on defense by a huge margin and sustain a prolonged conflict far more effectively. Its population is also twice as large and significantly better educated.
The South has stable international partnerships. While the US alliance is the cornerstone, South Korea has been strengthening ties with other regional powers and NATO, diversifying its security relationships beyond a sole reliance on Washington.
Contrary, there are also negative views.
The North Korea has been making constant nuclear threats. This is the single most important factor. While South Korea’s conventional forces are superior, it lacks a nuclear deterrent.
The U.S. nuclear umbrella is the ultimate guarantee against a North Korean nuclear attack. Without it, North Korea could theoretically use nuclear blackmail to constrain South Korea’s conventional response.
U.S. provides a secure second-strike capability with its nuclear submarines and bombers, ensuring that any nuclear attack on an ally would be met with a devastating response. South Korea does not have this. U.S. also provides an unparalleled level of ISR assets—satellites, global spy networks, high-altitude surveillance planes (like the U-2 and RQ-4 Global Hawk), and nuclear submarine patrols—that South Korea cannot fully replicate on its own. This is critical for detecting threats and providing early warning.
There’s also threat of China. U.S. withdrawal from the peninsula would fundamentally shift the regional balance of power. It could embolden North Korea. Increase China’s influence over both Koreas, potentially limiting South Korea’s strategic options.
Create a power vacuum that China would be eager to fill, challenging South Korean sovereignty in new ways.
Even if South Korea could eventually win a conventional war, the cost would be catastrophic. The first hours of a conflict would involve massive artillery barrages on Seoul, potentially causing hundreds of thousands of casualties. The US presence is a powerful deterrent that makes war less likely by presenting North Korea with an overwhelming adversary.
It’s About More Than Just Military Hardware. The question is not just whether South Korea has the soldiers and weapons to fight—it very clearly does. The deeper issue is about deterrence, strategic stability, and risk management.
In a purely conventional war, South Korea’s military is more than capable of defeating North Korea, though at a horrific cost to the peninsula.
In the nuclear age, the calculus changes completely. The US military presence, and particularly the US nuclear umbrella, is the critical element that deters a nuclear attack and prevents North Korea from having ultimate strategic leverage.
Therefore, while South Korea has built a tremendously powerful self-reliant military (“Strategic Autonomy”), it currently still relies on the US alliance for the highest level of strategic deterrence (“Extended Deterrence”).
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