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Military power of China and North Korea & South Korea

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China and North Korea vs South Korea

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China and North Korea South Korea

The China-DPRK Treaty on Friendship is a treaty signed on 11 July 1961 between North Korea and China. The treaty obligates China militarily to defend North Korea and vice versa.North Korea enjoys a close relationship with China which is often called North Korea's closest ally. The relations were strained in the last few years because of China's concerns about North Korea's nuclear program. Both countries have nuclear weapons.

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

+
410 billion $
44 billion $

Percent of GDP

+
0 %
2.5 %

Manpower

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small flag KR

Active personnel

+
3,355,000
555,000

Reserve personnel

+
2,600,000
2,750,000

Available for military

+
392,336,380
13,185,794

Land Forces

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small flag KR
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Tanks

+
11,244
2,201
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Armoured fighting vehicles

+
19,880
4,456
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Total artillery

+
19,890
8,096
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Self-propelled artillery

+
7,390
3,270
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Rocket artillery

+
7,000
426

Air Forces

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small flag KR
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Total aircraft

+
6,190
1,524
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Fighter

+
1,186
61
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Multirole

+
1,533
325
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Attack

+
446
0
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Helicopters

+
1,428
837
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UCAV (combat drone)

+
160
0

Navy

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small flag KR
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Total naval

+
1,485
152
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Aircraft carriers

+
6
2
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Destroyers

+
50
13
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Frigates

+
49
17
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Corvettes

+
81
3
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Submarines

+
170
22

Nuclear weapons

China and North Korea

Data not available

South Korea

Does not have nuclear weapons.

Military service

China and North Korea

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.