{"id":2196412,"date":"2022-05-31T18:15:01","date_gmt":"2022-05-31T09:15:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nknews.org\/pro\/?p=2196412"},"modified":"2023-04-05T16:12:20","modified_gmt":"2023-04-05T07:12:20","slug":"south-koreas-nascent-aircraft-carrier-on-chopping-block-as-yoon-focuses-on-dprk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/05\/south-koreas-nascent-aircraft-carrier-on-chopping-block-as-yoon-focuses-on-dprk\/","title":{"rendered":"South Korea\u2019s nascent aircraft carrier on chopping block as Yoon focuses on DPRK"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of Yoon Seok-yeol\u2019s first priorities as president will be determining South Korea\u2019s defense priorities at a time when the country faces significant challenges: North Korea continues to <\/span>test missiles<\/span><\/a> and is readying a potential <\/span>seventh nuclear test<\/span><\/a>, and U.S.-China competition is heating up in the region.<\/span><\/p>\n

Indeed, Yoon kicked off his term in office with a<\/span> military briefing at midnight<\/span><\/a> on May 10. Setting those priorities will have far-reaching effects on defense acquisition, and the Moon administration\u2019s<\/span> controversial<\/span><\/a> light aircraft carrier program<\/span><\/a> \u2014 often referred to as CVX \u2014 will likely be an early victim of reoriented priorities. Even so, Moon\u2019s push to advance South Korea\u2019s missile capabilities provides important building blocks for Yoon to further develop in service of South Korea\u2019s defense.<\/span><\/p>\n

The CVX program was a pet project of Moon Jae-in\u2019s administration and followed in the footsteps of the progressive Roh Moo-hyun administration. It was Roh Moo-hyun that first set Korea down the path toward a<\/span> blue water navy<\/span><\/a>, and it was Roh who approved the controversial<\/span> deep water port on Jeju island<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The high priority given to naval assets among progressive administrations largely flows from their decision to not identify North Korea as the \u201cmain enemy.\u201d That tag has a profound effect on defense priorities. If North Korea is identified as the main enemy, then defense spending and acquisition programs should focus on the primary means to deter North Korea \u2014 land and air power. Removing that identifier allows progressive administration to direct funding into naval assets.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Yoon administration is very likely to restore North Korea as the main enemy \u2014 South Korean media <\/span>report<\/span><\/a> the defense ministry has <\/span>already done so<\/span><\/a> in training materials for soldiers \u2014 shifting defense priorities back toward the army and air force. Yoon\u2019s nominee for defense minister, Lee Jong-sup, is a<\/span> retired Army lieutenant general<\/span><\/a>. He has already<\/span> spoken cooly<\/span><\/a> of the CVX program, fueling expectations that the program will be cut.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

The increased priority that new South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has placed on deterring North Korea sets up an increase in military spending on land and air power, Karl Friedhoff writes | Image: ROK Army (Aug. 22, 2016)<\/p><\/div>\n

POLITICAL OPPOSITION?<\/b><\/p>\n

Of course, simply cutting the funding for the carrier out of the 2023 budget is not wholly up to the Yoon administration. The Democratic Party still controls the National Assembly, and thus the purse strings, and will retain that control for the next two years.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Democratic representatives may decide to fight for including funding for the project, seeing it as a legacy of Moon Jae-in\u2019s presidency. This would turn funding into a bargaining chip as complex budget negotiations unfold.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But that seems unlikely for two reasons.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

First, as far as bargaining chips go, this is a weak one. In reviewing the initial 2022 budget proposal, the National Defense Committee \u2014 a bipartisan committee well-versed in security issues and in charge of reviewing the project \u2014 <\/span>concluded<\/span><\/a> that there was no convincing case that an aircraft carrier was necessary to serve South Korea\u2019s interests. The committee decided to cut the proposed budget for the design phase from roughly $6 million to less than $500,000.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Moon administration then intervened to restore the original requested amount. The year before, the same committee cut funding for the proposed project from roughly $9 million<\/span> to under $100,000<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The aircraft carrier is unlikely to receive an initial line item in the 2023 budget, and even if the Democratic Party pushes for its funding, the National Defense Committee is likely to reach the same conclusion it did previously. Without Moon in office to push for its inclusion, and given the relatively small amount of money already committed, it will not be seen as a project worth fighting for.<\/span><\/p>\n

Second, pursuing such a project will ultimately take a significant portion of South Korea\u2019s military budget. The aircraft carrier is<\/span> expected to cost<\/span><\/a> roughly $2 billion to build and then $45 million a year to maintain.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But this cost estimate does not seem to include the planes, helicopters and other systems that would actually outfit the proposed carrier. When taking those into account, the price<\/span> could approach $5 billion<\/span><\/a>. If it had been funded in full this year, it would represent roughly 11 percent of Korea\u2019s<\/span> $46 billion<\/span><\/a> defense budget in 2022.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Moreover, for an aircraft carrier to be effective, it cannot operate alone. It would require building and outfitting a carrier strike group consisting of multiple new surface ships, including guided missile cruisers to provide air defenses and other ships focused on anti-submarine operations, pushing total costs even higher. Those potential high costs and a largely unconvinced National Assembly do not bode well for the future of the program.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

The estimated $2 billion cost for South Korea to develop a light aircraft carrier does not include the cost of maintenance, planes and outfitting a carrier strike group | Image: ROK Navy’s YouTube<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

FROM MOON TO YOON<\/b><\/p>\n

Even with the CVX program facing the chop, Moon Jae-in did not leave the cupboard bare for the Yoon administration.<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite accusations of being soft on national security, Moon oversaw the<\/span> two greatest year-on-year increases<\/span><\/a> in the defense budget in Korea\u2019s modern history. Before the onset of the pandemic, the average increase under Moon was greater than 7 percent, compared to less than 6 percent under the previous two conservative presidents.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The former president also oversaw a vast expansion of South Korea\u2019s missile capabilities. This included the lifting of<\/span> missile guidelines<\/span><\/a> with the U.S., Korea\u2019s first testing of a<\/span> submarine-launched ballistic missile<\/span><\/a> and the production of South Korea\u2019s first<\/span> space launch vehicle<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

South Korea\u2019s military exports<\/span> increased threefold<\/span><\/a> under Moon\u2019s watch, making Korea the sixth-largest arms exporter in the world. These are all areas on which the Yoon administration will seek to build.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When the aircraft carrier is finally cut from the budget, it will likely be politicized and held up as evidence of the folly of Moon\u2019s defense priorities. But the advances in missile capabilities will be his true defense legacy. And it is on that legacy which Yoon will have the chance to build.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Edited by Bryan Betts<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Defense & Security<\/span><\/a>Inter-Korean & Foreign Relations<\/span><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of Yoon Seok-yeol\u2019s first priorities as president will be determining South Korea\u2019s defense priorities at a time when the country faces significant challenges: North Korea continues to test missiles and is readying a potential seventh nuclear test, and U.S.-China competition is heating up in the region. Indeed, Yoon kicked off his term in office […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3665,"featured_media":2196413,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[26,28],"yoast_head":"\nSouth Korea\u2019s nascent aircraft carrier on chopping block as Yoon focuses on DPRK - KOREA PRO<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/05\/south-koreas-nascent-aircraft-carrier-on-chopping-block-as-yoon-focuses-on-dprk\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"South Korea\u2019s nascent aircraft carrier on chopping block as Yoon focuses on DPRK - KOREA PRO\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"One of Yoon Seok-yeol\u2019s first priorities as president will be determining South Korea\u2019s defense priorities at a time when the country faces significant challenges: North Korea continues to test missiles and is readying a potential seventh nuclear test, and U.S.-China competition is heating up in the region. 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