Lee Jae-myung announced that South Korea will significantly increase its defense budget next year (data map)

On the morning of October 1, local time, in a speech commemorating the 77th anniversary of South Korea's National Army Day, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said that cutting-edge technology is changing the modern battlefield. In the future, the battlefield will be dominated by AI combat robots, drones, and ultra-precision high-performance missiles. To this end, South Korea will significantly increase its defense budget next year, increasing it by 8.2% to 66.3 trillion won (approximately RMB 340 billion) from 2025, and will focus on investment in military drones, robots, cutting-edge aeroengines, and stealth technology.

Li said that South Korea is already a military power with the world's fifth largest military power, and for peace and prosperity, South Korea should not rely on anyone, but to increase its own strength. Regarding the issue of operational command, Li said that South Korea will in the future regain operational command on the basis of a solid Korean-American alliance and dominate the Korean-American joint defense system (CCTV International Times).

Extended reading

Taking advantage of Kim Jong-un's overseas visit, Lee Jae-myung launched "army consolidation"

Author/Observers Network Column

Recently, the developments in the military field between North Korea and South Korea have attracted much attention. Both the north and the south launched "army consolidation" operations in their own sense. This new move from south to north has undoubtedly brought new variables and highlights to the military pattern in Northeast Asia.

North Korea becomes a ¡°great power¡±

On September 10, the 77th anniversary of the founding of North Korea, Kim presided over the "Central Oath Conference" and delivered a speech.

"In view of the extremely high status of our country's climbing today, we proudly sum up the 77-year cause of building a strong country since the day of the announcement of the founding of New Korea. Now, no one or any force can violate the absolute status and security of our country, and the torrent of prosperous times opened with our hands can't be reversed by any force. ¡­ ¡­ This philosophy tells us that the socialist road we have chosen is the unique and correct road. "

Kim Jong-un presides over the "Central Oath Conference"

Kim Jong-un has the courage to say such a conclusion, which cannot be separated from two pillars.

The first is the unbreakable traditional "blood alliance" between China and North Korea. During the 1993 commemoration, Kim Jong-un received courtesy in Beijing not only because of his head of state and the supreme leader of North Korea, but also because he was a descendant of the Anti-Japanese Alliance and a family member of the anti-Japanese heroes. Moreover, during this time Kim Jong-un's visit to China, the official media of China and North Korea continued the new practice established by Kim Jong-un's previous visit to China and provided almost real-time simultaneous reports on Kim Jong-un's itinerary and activities.

North Korea's official media KCNA reported a relatively brief report on the Jiusan military parade and listed it in the most important column of "News on the Revolutionary Activities of Comrade Kim Jong-un, General Secretary of the Workers 'Party of Korea". The headline picture is a close-up of the Tiananmen Gate and the statue of Chairman Mao.

North Korean official media report of the 93rd parade

Regarding the new equipment displayed by the Chinese People's Liberation Army, the Korean Central News Agency only selected two pieces, both of which were related to missiles. Regarding the meeting between the two heads of state, compared with the official reports of China and the DPRK, the news of the DPRK has an additional description: "During the talks, the top leaders of the DPRK and China sincerely and frankly exchanged views on strengthening high-level exchanges and strategic communication between the DPRK and China, and informed each other of the independent policy positions adhered by the parties and governments of the two countries in the field of foreign relations. They also talked about strengthening strategic cooperation and safeguarding common interests in international and regional affairs. The talks have always been held in a cordial and friendly atmosphere."

The other pillar is the new blood alliance established by North Korea through "resisting the United States and aiding Russia". Before Kim Jong-un's departure, North Korea had held its own country's recovery commemoration on August 15th. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the recovery of the Korean Peninsula, and there are routine celebrations in the north and south. Compared with the festive atmosphere in South Korea, the commemoration in North Korea pays more attention to injecting "recovery" into new content.

Volodin, chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, as special envoy of Russian President Vladimir Putin, attended the celebration meeting of the DPRK to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the victory of the motherland liberation war

In his speech on the 8th and 15th anniversary of the victory in the Fatherland Liberation War, Kim Jong-un twice mentioned the Soviet Union:

"I reverently recall the deeds of the officers and men of the Soviet Red Army who fought bloody battles for the liberation of our people, and pay high respect to the martyrs." "The history of the decisive battle to liberate Korea records the meritorious deeds of the officers and men of the Soviet Red Army who fought bravely at the forefront of the world anti-fascist war. Our people still remember the lofty internationalist deeds made by the outstanding sons and daughters of the Russian people."

On the one hand, the content of the speech recalled North Korea's past liberation history and emphasized North Korea's legal system. On the other hand, it reflected North Korea's bloody achievements in establishing Russia.

Kim Jong-un Awarded

Shortly before Kim Jong-un's departure, he held a decoration and admiration meeting for the fallen soldiers who fought overseas. According to the research of video materials, the fallen soldiers range from soldiers to assistant officers, and the ages range from 18 to 30 or 40. In the award-giving meeting and the subsequent condolence performances, the martyrs also attended, so Kim Jong-un and the present general Zuo all looked dignified, and the service of the cast members was mainly plain, which was more like a memorial service than a celebration. The heavy price paid by North Korea in "overseas operations" may be even greater than the announced one.

The announced martyrs also explain why all the people are so obsessed.

The picture shows a screenshot of the related video report

"Jin Xuezhe is 32 years old and a Party member of the Labor Party. After being knocked down by an enemy drone, he shouted 'Go complete the squadron's combat mission' to his comrades who were coming to support him, then killed himself in the head with an automatic rifle and died heroically."

The picture shows a screenshot of the related video report

"Romani, 41 years old, Party member of the Labor Party. The enemy's use of machine-gun fire caused our assault to encounter a major setback. Ronanci approached the enemy's fire point with a grenade. She was hit by 16 bullets and suffered injuries to her hands and feet. She eventually died together with the enemy's fire point."

The picture shows a screenshot of the related video report

"Captain Zhao Zheyuan and 11 combatants. In the process of repelling the enemy's six counterattacks, he was shot in multiple places throughout his body and seriously injured. After calling for artillery support with a trembling voice on the walkie-talkie, they shouted 'My great motherland must prosper and strong', and all self-destructed themselves and died for the country."

These heroic deeds announced by North Korea this time can be said to be a systematic display of North Korea's political belief system, military training system, and national identity system. After several generations of twists and turns, they abandoned the task of unifying South Korea and exchanged blood for remuneration. The consensus to make North Korea a "powerful country" has become the core of Kim Jong-un's ideological foundation for inheriting the past and the future.

South Korea: ¡°Lee in the morning time¡± has opened

Compared to North Korea's iron-blooded troops, the South Korean government, while Kim Jong-un visited, armed friction threatened the lowest bone marrow, massively withdrew senior generals, and carried out another "total" army.

After Lee returned to the United States, he did a number of major things.The first thing was to remove seven four-star generals and put the command of the Korean army to the bottom.

Li removed seven active four-star generals in Ming

The newly promoted Strategic Command Commander Chen Yongzhou (Lt. Gen. of the Air Force) was nominated as Chairman of the Joint Staff Headquarters (Joint Command). Commander of the Missile Strategic Command (Lt. Gen. of the Army) Qinggu River, Minister of Joint Military Support (Lt. Gen. of the Navy), Commander of the Air Force Military Command Sun Shiloh (Lt. Gen. of the Air Force) were nominated respectively as Chief of the Land, Sea, and Air Force Staff. In addition to the Joint Senator, the remaining six were appointed by President Li in the appointment after the State Conference passed.

At the promotion ceremony and three-sword honours ceremony held at the Yongshan Presidential Office Building in Seoul on the 2nd, President Lee Jae-ming took a group photo with Joint Chiefs of Staff candidate Chen Ying-seung (fourth from left in the front row) and other generals and their families

Although this action "hurts the muscles and bones", it not only has the righteous title of "eliminating residual poison", but also has Yin Xiyue's example: Two years ago, Yin Xiyue once carried out a general purge of the army. He cleared all senior officers promoted to lieutenant general and above during Moon Jae-in's administration from command positions. Kim Myung-soo, the Joint Senate President appointed by Yoon Seok Yoon at that time, was promoted by Vice Admiral. It is not only rare in South Korean history, but also a special case around the world.

At the time Yin Xi Jinping believed that he had mastered the army, he began to conspire and struggle, and even used special forces to pretend that the North Korean army made friction, proving that the South Korean army could not be commanded by a paper presidential order.Now Li in Ming, although it looked "clear", in fact only restored the normal state of the South Korean army, really encountered a very current situation, and the civilian government's ability to control the army is still not necessary.

The timing of Li Zaiming's consolidation of the army is very skillful. First, Kim Jong-un is visiting abroad, and the risk of military friction between the ROK and the DPRK is relatively low. In addition, he himself has just returned from his visit to the United States, so he should have informed the U.S. side of major events, and the U.S. troops stationed in South Korea are prepared. In addition, South Korea's senior military officers have been involved in the martial law incident, and many of them are eager to stay away from the front line and politics. As for the impact of this adjustment on the combat effectiveness of the Korean army, it should be quite limited, because not only the wartime command power is in the hands of the US military, but now South Korea's military exercises have to be carried out according to the plan formulated by the United States, and it is difficult to play alone.

What has less success and greater impact than the entire army is that Li Zaiming has significantly adjusted the government structure. The South Korean government announced on the 7th a government organizational structure adjustment plan, abolishing the "Taishang Huang" Procuratorate Office and splitting the Procuratorate Office into the "Public Prosecution Office" and the "Major Crime Investigation Office". The Public Prosecution Office will be subordinate to the Ministry of Justice and assume the original prosecution function of the procuratorate; the Major Crime Investigation Office will be subordinate to the Ministry of Administration and Security and assume investigative functions. This adjustment will then be included in the amendment to the Government Organization Law and will be implemented one year after the amendment is passed by Congress and officially announced (as soon as September 2026).

Considering that the majority of the Congress is also in the hands of the Common Democratic Party, this major reform has been equivalent to the "theoretical change of South Korea's most core power distribution and completely change the passive status quo of the president's "head hanging sword".

However, this reform can't change the political culture of liquidation and revenge in South Korea. What's more, this reform has cut to the core cake of conservatives. If it is a little careless, the rebound will be extremely fierce. Whether Cheongwadae's curse can be broken or not, we have to wait for time to give an answer.

The plan also includes changing the name of the Ministry of Finance to "Ministry of Finance and Economy", continuing to coordinate the coordination of economic policy, tax system and treasury functions, the original budget preparation and fiscal policy functions will be relegated to the newly established "budget planning office" under the State Prime Minister's Office. South Korea's State Prime Minister, nominated by the President's substance second hand, is generally the core backbone of the party, this adjustment is equivalent to the South Korean President's powers greatly strengthened, especially in the state of "House of the House", the budget will not be affected by ministerial officials and the President's disagreement, efficiency will be greatly improved.

Other fine-tuning aspects of environment and gender equality are more technical adjustments that take into account public opinion. Li Ziming had completed a comprehensive takeover of the party before he came to power. Now that he has just completed his 100 days in office, his ability to straighten out the government and the military is obvious to all. It can be said that from now on, the remaining 4 years and 9 months will be the real Li Ziming time.