[Column] Hoping for a Minister to Lead K-Defense

From "Corrupt Industry" Stigma to Global Player:
K-Defense Exports Surge, but Support Remains Insufficient
Next Defense Minister Must Become the Industry's Control Tower

There are five major meetings that former President Park Chung-hee considered important during his tenure. These are the Export Promotion Expansion Meeting, Monthly Economic Trend Report, Blue House Cabinet Meeting, National Basic Operation Plan Review and Analysis Meeting, and Defense Industry Promotion Expansion Meeting. In particular, former President Park was very interested in the Defense Industry Promotion Expansion Meeting. This was because South Korea had no weapon technology that could be made by its own hands, let alone defense exports. In October 1971, while promoting the 'Lightning Project,' he instructed, "Even if the muzzle cracks, first make a prototype." Through this project, our military produced eight types of weapons within a month, including the M1 rifle, machine gun, 60mm and 81mm mortars, and 3.5-inch rocket launchers.

Over time, the perspective on the defense industry changed significantly. It became a product of a 'corrupt industry.' The irony is that this started from the Park Geun-hye administration. Former Minister of National Defense Kim Kwan-jin, the first defense minister under that government, stated in February 2014 during a briefing to the president that he would actively promote tasks to eradicate corruption in defense projects to normalize abnormal practices. Former Minister Han Min-koo also declared in January 2016 during a defense ministry briefing that he would prepare comprehensive improvement measures for defense industry corruption and create innovation in defense projects. He then launched the 'Four Major Vaccines Project for Anti-Corruption' to reduce defense project corruption to zero.

This perspective was the same under the Moon Jae-in administration. In July 2017, former President Moon instructed former Minister Song Young-moo upon his appointment to make 'eradication of defense industry corruption' his first resolve as minister. The following year, measures against defense industry corruption were introduced. To eradicate corruption, they considered excluding intermediaries in overseas weapons purchases and introduced a 'three strikes out' system that cancels procurement registration for unethical companies caught committing fraud three or more times. These were 'copycat measures' reported by former Minister Kim Tae-young to former President Lee Myung-bak ten years earlier.

Until now, defense companies had no reliable support amid the recurring stigma of being a corrupt industry every time the administration changed. Because of this, expectations were high when the Yoon Suk-yeol administration took office. With 'Science and Technology Strong Military' included in the government's national agenda, there was hope that the defense industry would also be empowered.

However, there have been no tangible results yet. The defense reform plan of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, Defense Innovation 4.0, prepared with the determination of a second founding of the military, has yet to show visible outcomes. Although the Presidential Defense Innovation Committee was launched in May, its activities have been sluggish. The Ministry of National Defense's second vice minister system, which President Yoon emphasized to strengthen the defense industry, has also been silent. The plan to establish an Aerospace Administration modeled after NASA was announced but has been stalled in the National Assembly.

Last year alone, South Korea signed defense export contracts worth $17 billion (approximately 22.219 trillion KRW). South Korea, which had been ranked around 10th in global defense exports, jumped to 8th place last year.

Whenever defense export amounts increased, national defense-related agencies were busy trying to take credit, but there was no organization truly dedicated to the defense industry. On the 5th, President Yoon requested the National Assembly to resend the confirmation report on Shin Won-sik, the nominee for Minister of National Defense. If the confirmation report is not adopted by the National Assembly, there is a mood to proceed with Shin's appointment forcibly. If Shin is appointed as defense minister, there will be many challenges to resolve. In particular, thorough preparation is needed so that the Minister of National Defense can become the control tower for the defense industry.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.