東北亞 安保環境 變化와 韓國防衛産業의 發展方向

Abstract

The traits of international system in the 21st century are projected in Northeast Asia and the Korean peninsula bringing about regional and strategical changes of the environment. The changes in characteristics of international security environment can be summed up to pan-international decrease in military spending, more intensified regional conflicts, and greater risks of weapons of mass destruction. Each of these factors have large impact on international defense industry and also on our military policy and defense industry. Thus the 4 superpowers surrounding the Korean peninsula are rapidly developing their defence industry to adapt to the changed new war conditions. Mainstream defence industry technology will be precise bombing based on high-tech information and communication technologies preparing for the wars in the future. The policies of the countries with leading defence industries include securing high technology by utilizing civilian technologies, strengthening cooperation with foreign countries, and deregulation and financial support of defence industries. Great Britain and France are pushing forward a policy dealing with providing of future military demand to companies, interchange of informations between civilian and military research, and government level international support in weapons exports. Also, Japan is trying to make its way to the markets of northeast Asia by self-development of the weapons and technology/development collaboration with the United States. Hereupon, the national defense budget for 2008 has increased 8.9% compared to last year reaching 26 trillion won and military strength investment has increased 16% to 7.8 trillion won. But problems such as regulation of manufacturing amount by the government, restriction in withdrawal from the defence industry market, poor progress of civilian research, lack of technology competitiveness between companies, and lack of support from government still remains. Unless these problems are solved, introduction of high-tech weapons/technologies from leading countries in defence industry is impossible, and even if it is possible, there will be economical difficulties since astronomical cost will be needed. In the future, we will have to produce high-tech weapons all by ourselves. Because defense industry is related to national existence it should not rely only on market principles. Strategical concerns and management at governmental level are needed. Especially, because defense industry exportation is based on national confidence, there are limits in what general companies can do. Thus our government should devise proper legal and strategical supporting policies at diversified levels to help them out. First of all, we need to intensify the cooperation basis with other countries to promote our superior defence products. Exportation of defence products should be supported by enough information about purchasing countries but it is almost impossible to get those information about plans of weapons acquisition in middle and long terms, strategy-requirement capability, and policy-making decisions without government-level support. The government is providing information through its military and munition officers but it's very feeble at this point. Second, we need to make proper environment for military research and development. Among military strength building policies for cooperative self-reliant defence, stated in Military Reform 2020, the expenses alloted for R&D compared to national defense should be up from 4.7% to 10% like other developed countries, and military strength building policies based upon introduction of other nation's technology should be converted to our own research development policy. Third, we should intensify financial policies that could encourage technological development of defense industry. Systematical changes for improving exportation competitiveness such as computation of abroad marketing and support activity costs, more flexible export-interest policy, reduction of tax are needed. Fourth, the government can support on legal and policy levels to increase defense industry's rational management and technological competitiveness. Defense industry can compete if they can come up with new materials, high-tech softwares, and other distinguished products. And by overthrowing policies of specialties and group affiliation, the industry can strengthen their competitiveness and should increase their effectiveness by increasing their operation rate from current 50% to other industry average 80%. For sustainable high-tech and elite military, we need to sustain high-tech and firm defense industry proportionate to the country's economical power. It's not an option but a must-do for national security. It's time for the government to bring about national consensus to make endeavor for exportation of defense industry. Even under tough conditions, defence industries of technically developed countries are doing well due to the support policies of the government. Thus this study was carried out to point out the problems our defense industry is facing and ways to overcome these problems. We need to further our study to structural characteristics of our defence industry, high-tech cooperation with the US Forces, and securing of talented personnel to the defence industry.