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Military power of BRICS & South Korea

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BRICS vs South Korea

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BRICS South Korea

BRICS (acronym - Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) is a grouping of the world economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Bilateral relations among BRICS are conducted mainly on the basis of non-interference, equality, and mutual benefit. The BRICS nations are considered a geopolitical rival to the G7 bloc.

On August 24, 2023, the expansion of the group on January 1, 2024 was announced to include Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. On 29 December 2023 the Government of Argentina officially announce that Argentina will not join the BRICS. This is due to the change of president to Javier Milei.

South Korea is a country located in Eastern Asia with an area of 100,210 km2 (land boundries: 237 km and costline 2,413 km). The capital of South Korea is Seoul. The number of inhabitants is 51,709,098.

US-South Korea Mutual Defense Treaty is a cornerstone of South Korea’s security. The Treaty gave the US permission to station land, air, and sea forces in the territory of South Korea. The USA maintained approximately 28,000 military personnel in the country. South Korea has been engaged with NATO through dialogue and security cooperation since 2005 and is considered by NATO to be a global partner. The South Korean military is equipped with a mix of domestically-produced and imported weapons systems. The top foreign weapons supplier is the United States and some domestically-produced systems are built under US license.

More about South Korea military

If you want to check the comparison in terms of economic ratios check out CompareEconomy.com

Military expenditures

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small flag KR

Military budget

+
642.8 billion $
44 billion $

Percent of GDP

+
0 %
2.5 %

Manpower

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small flag KR

Active personnel

+
6,345,000
555,000

Reserve personnel

+
7,754,000
2,750,000

Available for military

+
992,083,395
13,185,794

Land Forces

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small flag KR
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Tanks

+
30,277
2,201
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Armoured fighting vehicles

+
72,901
4,456
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Total artillery

+
40,650
8,096
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Self-propelled artillery

+
12,316
3,270
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Rocket artillery

+
11,343
426

Air Forces

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small flag KR
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Total aircraft

+
15,826
1,524
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Fighter

+
1,484
61
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Multirole

+
2,830
325
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Attack

+
1,330
0
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Helicopters

+
5,511
837
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UCAV (combat drone)

+
393
0

Navy

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small flag KR
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Total naval

+
2,809
152
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Aircraft carriers

+
12
2
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Destroyers

+
77
13
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Frigates

+
105
17
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Corvettes

+
215
3
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Submarines

+
194
22

Nuclear weapons

BRICS

Data not available

South Korea

Does not have nuclear weapons.

Military service

BRICS

Data not available

South Korea

20-30 years of age for compulsory military service, with middle school education required; minimum conscript service obligation - 21 months (Army, Marines), 23 months (Navy), 24 months (Air Force); 18-26 years of age for voluntary military service; women, in service since 1950, admitted to 7 service branches, including infantry, but excluded from artillery, armor, anti-air, and chaplaincy corps; HIV-positive individuals are exempt from military service.