South Korea’s new five-year defense plan allocates a staggering $268 billion (348.7 trillion won) for defense spending in an ambitious bid to bolster defense readiness. 

But only two weeks after its introduction, the plan’s feasibility is already in doubt.

The Yoon Suk-yeol administration’s Intermediate-Term National Defense Plan (ITNDP) calls for the government to heavily invest in advanced technology to address emerging regional and global asymmetric threats. 

To achieve this goal, the plan proposes a substantial increase in defense spending and an accelerated timeline for acquiring new military assets and improving welfare for junior officers by 2028.

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