Military profile
South Korea Military Strength
South Korea ranks #6 of 145 in the Global Firepower military strength ranking, with 555,000 active personnel. It spent $47.8 billion on its military in 2025 (2.6% of GDP).
South Korea armed forces in numbers
Personnel
- Active military personnel
- 555,000#8 of 145
- Reserve military personnel
- 500,000#10 of 145
- Paramilitary forces
- 75,000#28 of 145
- Army personnel
- 420,000#7 of 145
- Air force personnel
- 65,000#9 of 145
- Navy personnel
- 70,000#8 of 145
Air power
- Total military aircraft
- 1,602#5 of 145
- Fighter aircraft
- 402#6 of 145
- Attack aircraft
- 98#6 of 145
- Military helicopters
- 739#5 of 145
- Attack helicopters
- 112#5 of 145
Land forces
- Tanks
- 2,331#10 of 145
- Self-propelled artillery
- 3,090#3 of 145
- Towed artillery
- 5,676#1 of 145
- Rocket artillery
- 581#12 of 145
Naval power
- Aircraft carriers
- 0#8 of 113
- Destroyers
- 13#5 of 113
- Frigates
- 18#3 of 113
- Corvettes
- 7#10 of 113
- Submarines
- 22#5 of 113
- Patrol vessels
- 35#28 of 113
- Mine warfare vessels
- 14#8 of 113
Finance
- Military spending
- $47.8 billion#13 of 156
- Military spending as % of GDP
- 2.6%#38 of 156
- Purchasing power parity (GDP, PPP)
- $2.19 trillion#14 of 145
Equipment and personnel: Global Firepower 2023 military strength ranking (2023). Spending: World Bank / SIPRI military expenditure data (CC BY 4.0).
South Korea military spending 2010–2025
Military spending of South Korea grew by 70% between 2010 and 2025, from $28.2 billion to $47.8 billion (current US dollars), and stood at 2.6% of GDP in 2025.
Armed forces of South Korea
Branches and forces
Armed Forces of the Republic of Korea: Republic of Korea Army (ROKA), Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN, includes Marine Corps, ROKMC), Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries: Korea Coast Guard; Ministry of Interior and Safety: Korean National Police Agency (2025)
Personnel
approximately 500,000 active Armed Forces (365,000 Army; 70,000 Navy, including about 30,000 Marines; 65,000 Air Force) (2025)
Service age and conscription
18-29 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; mandatory military service for all eligible men 18-35 years of age (typically served from 20-28 years of age); compulsory service obligation is 18-21 months based on the branch of service and up to 36 months for alternative service (2025)
Equipment and suppliers
the South Korean military is equipped with a mix of mostly modern domestically produced and imported weapons systems; the US is the leading provider of foreign arms; South Korea's defense industry produces a range of military hardware for both domestic use and export, including aircraft, armored fighting vehicles, artillery, missiles, and naval vessels; it also jointly produces equipment with other countries (2025)
Deployments abroad
250 Lebanon (UNIFIL); 275 South Sudan (UNMISS); approximately 150 United Arab Emirates (2025)
Good to know
the South Korean military is responsible for external defense and is primarily focused on the threat from North Korea; it participates in bilateral and multinational exercises and deploys abroad for international missions, including peacekeeping and other security operations South Korea's primary defense partner is the US, and the 1953 US-South Korea Mutual Defense Treaty is a cornerstone of the country's national security; the Treaty committed the US to provide assistance in the event of an attack and gave the US permission to station land, air, and sea forces in and about the territory of South Korea as determined by mutual agreement; South Korea hosts approximately 28,000 US military troops and regularly conducts bilateral exercises with the US military; South Korea has Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA) status with the US, a designation under US law that provides foreign partners with certain benefits in the areas of defense trade and security cooperation; the South Korean military has assisted the US in conflicts in Afghanistan (5,000 troops; 2001-2014), Iraq (20,000 troops; 2003-2008), and Vietnam (325,000 troops; 1964-1973) in 2016, South Korea concluded an agreement with the EU for participation in EU Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP) missions and operations, such as EU counter-piracy operations off the coast of East Africa; South Korea has had a relationship with NATO since 2005, and in 2022 established a mission to the NATO headquarters to further cooperation; it has participated in NATO-led missions and exercises, including in Afghanistan and the Gulf of Aden (2025)
Military expenditure (% of GDP)
2025: 2.3% · 2024: 2.4% · 2023: 2.4% · 2022: 2.4% · 2021: 2.4%
Forces and service: CIA World Factbook (public domain).
South Korea compared with its neighbours
| Country | Strength rank | Military spending |
|---|---|---|
| South Korea | #6 | $47.8 billion |
 North Korea | #34 | — |