Stronger navy key to protecting Korea's gains

By Hank Kim

When my parents left the Republic of Korea (ROK) in 1972, the country was a mess. It was still reeling from 35 years of Japanese colonization followed shortly thereafter by the devastating Korean War, which left over two million dead or missing. Even 19 years after the armistice of 1953, South Korea was 32nd in the world by GDP, behind countries like Nigeria and Iran.

Today South Korea has undergone a tremendous transformation into a technologically advanced and wealthy country. Its GDP is 12th in the world just behind Canada and Russia. It's the fourth-largest economy in Asia.

Although Korea is geographically a peninsula, because of the ongoing conflict with its neighbor to the North, South Korea is economically an island. No real trade goes through North Korea. Thus, much of South Korea's economic miracle is tied to its ability to conduct maritime trade. In fact, although South Korea ranks 27th internationally in terms of population, Busan port is still the fifth-largest in the world by container volume.

The ROK Navy, whose mission is to protect its national maritime interests has also undergone significant modernization. Although I am an officer in the U.S. Navy, I had the privilege to work with the ROK Navy several times throughout my career and witnessed this incredible development.

I recall my foreign exchange naval training at the South Korean naval academy in 1994. I embarked on the ROKS Taejon which was one of South Korea's premier warships. It was, however, an ex-U.S. Navy destroyer from World War II which had been transferred to South Korea in 1977. The rest of the South Korean Navy was comprised of similar or smaller coastal patrol craft and gunboats consistent with a coastal navy.

From these humble beginnings, the ROK Navy grew into a formidable force. Beginning in the 1990s, South Korea commissioned its indigenously produced destroyers to replace the aging ex-U.S. Navy warships.

The current Korean KDX-III destroyers boast advanced radar and weaponry commensurate with the U.S. Navy. The ROK Navy has earned a professional reputation globally as it takes increasing part in international exercises and operates consistently away from its shores in places such as the Indian Ocean as part of an anti-piracy task force.

The time has come, however, to re-examine South Korea's maritime defense investments with respect to its level of importance vis-a-vis national security, global trade, and international prestige.

History is replete with examples of the importance and advantages of a strong maritime force. The Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish, and of course the British all once built and defended their colonial empires through the might of their navies.

South Korea is not an imperial power with far-flung colonies, but given the level of importance of maritime trade, one would expect the country to field more of a power projection navy.

Why? The maritime security environment has become increasingly unstable in recent years. The rise of China and its claim of virtually the entire South China Sea have threatened the status quo of free-flowing commerce through the region.

China and other nations with competing maritime claims have militarized several islands, some not far from shipping lanes. Recent maritime clashes between China and the U.S., and China and Vietnam underscore the increasing volatility in the area. With more than 1 billion tons of goods and the majority of its oil passing through the South China Sea, South Korea can hardly afford to be a passive bystander.

Additionally, a stronger navy will enhance South Korea's prestige on the international stage. Not many nations are able to dispatch their warships to ply the waters of the seven seas on a consistent basis.

The ROK Navy's persistent presence in the Middle East, its ability to protect its citizens from piracy thousands of miles away from its shores, and its leadership roles in international maritime exercises such as RIMPAC and Wallaby with the Australians enhance South Korea's global standing.

Of course, building a larger Navy costs money. Modern-day destroyers cost more than $1 billion apiece, not to mention manpower and operational costs which dwarf production costs several fold. And there is technically still a war on with North Korea which necessitates a large army.

The Moon Jae-in administration, however, has made significant progress in defusing tensions on the peninsula. When I was stationed at U.S. Naval Forces, Korea, in 2017, the sentiment among many was that war was imminent.

Now as 2018 draws to a close, the mood has shifted 180 degrees. Although a formal peace treaty may not be signed soon, that it is even being discussed for the first time since the Korean War 65 years ago may give the South Koreans some breathing space to shift focus away from their army to their navy.

As much as maritime trade is a strength for South Korea, it is also the country's Achilles' heel and it needs to be protected. Ships and sailors are not produced overnight. If South Korea is serious about protecting and promoting itself in the future, it should look at enhancing its navy now.

Hank Kim is a captain in the U.S. Navy and a Harvard Kennedy School of Government national security fellow. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the United States Navy, the U.S. Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.