Editing Republic of Korea Armed Forces (section)

==Defense strategy==
[[File:Armed Forces Day of South Korea (1973) 1.jpg|left|thumb|President [[Park Chung Hee]] inspecting troops at the 1973 [[Armed Forces Day (South Korea)|Republic of Korea Armed Forces Day]] parade]]

The signing of the [[Korean Armistice Agreement]] in 1953 by the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), ended the active hostilities of the Korean War. Since an official peace treaty has not been signed by North and South Korea, defensive actions needed to be implemented by the Republic of Korea Army in case of another North Korean attack.

During the Cold War era, a variety of anti-tank barricades were constructed over roads and railroad tracks leading in and out of Seoul, as well as within the Gyeonggi Province. The anti-tank barricades or "rock drops" are made up of giant concrete blocks mounted on thin walls, made to look like fake bridges and overpasses, that lead to nowhere but house hundreds of tons of rubble. 
These structures are rigged with explosives and are designed to be blown up by the South Korean Army which would drop the rubble blocking roads and railways. Along with the anti-tank barricades, the South Korean Army placed barbed-wire fences along the Han River and hundreds of 3-foot tall concrete pillars arranged in rows, known as "dragon teeth", across open fields. During the 1970s and 1980s when most of these structures were built, the goal was to slow down enemy tanks, troops, and other vehicles and to buy time for South Korean civilians to flee from the invading North Korean forces, as well as to allow for the Republic of Korea and the United States Army to employ troops to defensive positions. 
The South Korean Ministry of National Defense claims that the anti-tank barricades are inspected regularly for safety concerns, but the barricades show cracks and signs of erosion.

Local governments and civilians are now demanding that the anti-tank barricades be removed as they pose a great safety risk, obstruct new development, and many people believe have outlived their purpose. There are about 250,000 vehicles a day that pass by the barricades and their vibrations contribute to weakening the structures. Despite safety concerns, tearing down barricades is a complicated matter.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Chyung |first1=Eun-ju |title=Cold War hangover: How safe are Korea's anti-tank barricades? |url=https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2017/12/281_240981.html |website=[[The Korea Times]] |access-date=5 May 2022 |date=16 Dec 2017}}</ref>

Since North Korea lost security and economic support from Russia in 1990 and China in 1992, a full-ground force assault on South Korea is unlikely according to military analysts. North Korea has changed its military tactics and now focuses on long-range and covert strikes. Through long-range artillery barrages, missile strikes, or chemical weapons that are used to deliberately attack non-American targets and short of all-out war, the North could seek to hold Seoul hostage with the hope of renegotiating a new status quo.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Cha |first1=Victor |title=Hawk Engagement and Preventive Defense on the Korean Peninsula |journal=International Security |date=2022 |volume=27 |issue=1 |pages=40–78 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3092152 |access-date=5 May 2022 |publisher=The MIT Press|doi=10.1162/016228802320231226 |jstor=3092152 |s2cid=57570533 }}</ref> Special warfare units are expected to use wartime tunnels or various infiltration means such as submarines, air-cushion vehicles (ACVs), AN-2 aircraft, and helicopters to infiltrate the forward and rear areas and conduct hybrid operations in the form of striking major units and facilities, assassinating key figures, and disturbing the rear area.<ref name="auto">{{cite web |title=2020 Defense White Paper |url=https://www.mnd.go.kr/user/mnd/upload/pblictn/PBLICTNEBOOK_202106300300426680.pdf |publisher=Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea |access-date=5 May 2022 |language=English |date=June 2021 |archive-date=9 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210809223822/https://www.mnd.go.kr/user/mnd/upload/pblictn/PBLICTNEBOOK_202106300300426680.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
The Defense Reform Base Plan was originally presented by President Roh Moo-hyun in December 2006,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hong |first1=Kyudok |title=The Long-Delayed Defense Reform in South Korea |journal=The Korean Journal of Defense Analysis |date=September 2016 |volume=28 |issue=3 |page=336}}</ref> but after years of evolution, and political and military pushback the reform was launched by President Moon Jae-in's administration. The ROK Armed Forces will firmly implement Defense Reform 2.0 to proactively respond to changes in the security environment and omnidirectional security threats, as well as support peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula based on strength. To this end, the ROK Armed Forces will work toward "steadfast national defense.<ref name="auto"/>

On 27 December 2022 North Korea sent five drones over the border, one reaching Seoul. All five returned to the North, despite a five hour chase involving fighter jets and attack helicopters, with some 100 rounds being fired. A [[KAI KT-1 Woongbi]] crashed although both crew survived. The [[Joint Chiefs of Staff (South Korea)|Joint Chiefs of Staff]] released a statement in which it acknowledges it can stop attack drones. However, its ability to stop smaller spy drones is "limited". A senior official, Kang Shin-chul, said: "Our military's lack of preparedness has caused a lot of concern to the people...actively employ detection devices to spot the enemy's drone from an early stage and aggressively deploy strike assets". The South Korean President [[Yoon Suk-yeol]] has indicated that South Korea will invest in stealthy drones that could penetrate North Korea with the creation of a new military unit.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-64100974 |title= North Korea drones: South's military apologises for pursuit failure |author= Kathryn Armstrong |work=[[BBC News]] |date=27 December 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-64100974 |title= North Korean drone reaches north of Seoul |author= Jean Mackenzie in Seoul & Robert Plummer in London |work=[[BBC News]] |date=26 December 2022}}</ref>

The South Korean Defence Ministry announced a new series of anti-drone measures, spending some 560 billion won over the next five years. The money will go towards four new initiatives. One is an airborne laser that will be used to destroy larger drones whilst a jammer would be used on smaller drones. A new counter drone unit, made up of two squadrons, would also be created. The laser is already in the test process and is expected to become operational in 2027. The jamming system has been described as "soft kill". Further work will be done on stealth jets and anti-rocket artillery systems. The total amount of the spending over the next five years is 331.4 trillion. The previous Defence budget for the last financial year was just 54.6 trillion won as a comparison.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-12-28/south-korea-to-spend-millions-on-drone-defence/101813566 |title= South Korea to spend millions on drone defence following North Korea's airspace invasion |newspaper= ABC News |agency=Reuters |date=29 December 2022}}</ref>