South Korea

Amanda Smith, senior at Rhodes College, International Studies and Political Science major, French and Environmental Studies minors.



Given the recent military attacks on South Korea from North Korea, the military security of South Korea and of the region is of the upmost importance to the international community. Considering North Korea’s unknown and speculated nuclear capabilities, this attack could be an ominous foreshadowing of serious changes to come for the international security system, and the South Korean people.
As if imminent nuclear attack were not enough to worry about, South Korea has its own potential demographic implosion problems. With one of the lowest total fertility rates in the world, and a rapidly aging and declining population, South Korean society and culture face future elimination. If it’s not population decline that does it, it will be one of South Korea’s hostile neighbors that finally does the country in. Historic grievances to the east with Japan, economic competition to the west with China, and military threats to the north with North Korea could all contribute to a devastating future for the South Korean people.
To help combat these looming threats to national security, I would recommend a few policy prescriptions for South Korea. First of all, technology as a resource needs to be emphasized for military and social purposes. According to Sciubba's third chapter entitled "Population Aging", currently South Korea boasts the second highest number of military personnel per capita in the world, but given the nature of modern warfare and the erratic behavior of the North, perhaps pure manpower is not enough. Although this recommendation goes against the international community’s preferences, South Korea should consider developing its own nuclear capabilities. While South Korea does have military agreements with the United States, who is a nuclear power, it cannot rely solely on another state for its ultimate military security. Bearing in mind China’s affinity for North Korea, South Korea should take every precaution necessary in case of a dangerous alliance.
In terms of its aging population, technology may also be part of the solution. The government has recently implemented elderly care training in many schools, but training alone will not be enough. South Korea can no longer rely on manpower to care for its elderly population, nor its military security. Technology must be incorporated in their response to internal and external threats. Health monitoring systems for the elderly, and an expansive healthcare system are needed to address this demographic problem. Given that the labor force is sharply declining as well, technology should also be a tool for sustaining the economy. Labor-intensive markets can no longer serve as the backbone of the economy; instead technology should serve as a replacement. This improvement to this sector of the economy will also help with regional economic competition.
Bolstering the economy, healthcare system, and military security are the major tenets to future South Korean overall security and longevity. If all of these are given the attention they deserve, perhaps South Korea will achieve the regional stability it needs to overcome its internal and external risks. And even if it does achieve this high level of security, the unpredictability of its volatile neighbors, all these efforts could be in vain. Nuclear attack from North Korea, Chinese aided invasion from the North, or a traditional war with its Northern neighbor are all reasonable assumptions for military planners. Additionally, the yearly famines in the North are nothing short of a humanitarian crisis, which also puts extra pressure on the South. The complications are endless, as are the future possibilities for insecurity. Even with the US on its side, in a war of China and North Korea against the United States and South Korea, the fight’s pretty fair. Frankly, South Korea’s future looks very insecure.