SIPRI Yearbook 2011
V. The South Korean arms industry
In the early 1970s in response to a deteriorating security environment on the Korean Peninsula along with the Nixon Doctrine—under which the USA required its allies to take on responsibility for their own defence—South Korea sought to develop self-sufficiency in its arms industry.56 Pre-existing heavy capital investment, developed industrial infrastructure and a skilled labour force facilitated this government-led process. Like Israel, however, South Korea has relied on technology transfers from the USA.57 Also, both countries’ relationships with the USA have resulted in direct military aid, equipment and an active arms trade. The continued presence and influence of US forces in South Korea has contributed to the development of the domestic arms industry from the onset, especially through shared technology. This development initially manifested itself through the reverse engineering of US military equipment in the early 1970s. Over the decades, this gave way to licensed production and joint ventures as well as indigenously designed equipment. Much of the sophisticated weapon technology used by the arms industry in South Korea has been in subsystems and components that have been produced under licence or imported.58
- Citation (MLA):
- Jackson, Susan T.. "5. Arms production." SIPRI Yearbook. SIPRI. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2016. Web. 3 Oct. 2023. <https://www.sipriyearbook.org/view/9780199695522/sipri-9780199695522-div1-54.xml>.
- Citation (APA):
- Jackson, S. (2016). 5. Arms production. In SIPRI, SIPRI Yearbook 2011: Armaments, Disarmament and International Security. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Retrieved 3 Oct. 2023, from https://www.sipriyearbook.org/view/9780199695522/sipri-9780199695522-div1-54.xml
- Citation (Chicago):
- Jackson, Susan T.. "5. Arms production." In SIPRI Yearbook 2011: Armaments, Disarmament and International Security, SIPRI. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016). Retrieved 3 Oct. 2023, from https://www.sipriyearbook.org/view/9780199695522/sipri-9780199695522-div1-54.xml
Please log in to access full text content, or find out more about how to subscribe.
If you think you should have access to this service, please contact your librarian.