Photo : YONHAP News
President Lee Jae Myung has called to expedite fulfillment of plans to introduce artificial intelligence and drone technologies to the military and acquire nuclear-powered submarines under a transition to a strong, future-oriented, and cutting-edge military.
Presiding over a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Lee said though the nation has sufficient capacity to defend itself, there is a neeed to further reinforce defense capabilities in reality where no one backs another up and the strong prey upon the weak.
The president issued a directive to continuously expand spending in research and development, localize key part production, and to mobilize national capabilities toward fostering the defense industry through enhanced government-civilian cooperation.
He also instructed officials to seek ways to nurture innovative firms that would become global leaders in robot, drone and space industries.
The president said the most important factor in efforts toward strengthening and advancing the military would be to have the resolve for independent defense, and called to smoothly and swiftly proceed with a transfer of wartime operational control from Washington to Seoul.