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Military power of France & South Korea

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France vs South Korea

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France South Korea

France is a country located in Western Europe with an area of 640,679 km2 (land boundries: 3,956 km and costline 4,853 km). The capital of France is Paris. The number of inhabitants is 67,413,000.

France was one of the original 12 countries to sign the North Atlantic Treaty, which created NATO in 1949. France and the UK signed in 2010 a declaration on defense and security cooperation that included greater military interoperability and a Combined Joint Expeditionary Force. The CJEF was assessed as having full operating capacity with the ability to rapidly deploy over 10,000 personnel. The French military's inventory consists mostly of domestically-produced weapons systems, including some jointly-produced with other European countries. France has a defense industry capable of manufacturing the full spectrum of military weapons systems.

More about France military

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

+
60 billion $
44 billion $

Percent of GDP

+
1.9 %
2.5 %

Manpower

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small flag KR

Active personnel

+
270,000
555,000

Reserve personnel

+
141,050
2,750,000

Available for military

+
14,563,662
13,185,794

Land Forces

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small flag KR
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Tanks

+
406
2,201
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Armoured fighting vehicles

+
6,748
4,456
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Total artillery

+
119
8,096
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Self-propelled artillery

+
96
3,270
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Rocket artillery

+
11
426

Air Forces

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Total aircraft

+
1,143
1,524
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Fighter

+
26
61
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Multirole

+
144
325
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Attack

+
66
0
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Helicopters

+
478
837
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UCAV (combat drone)

+
16
0

Navy

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small flag KR
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Total naval

+
111
152
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Aircraft carriers

+
4
2
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Destroyers

+
10
13
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Frigates

+
12
17
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Corvettes

+
0
3
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Submarines

+
10
22

Nuclear weapons

France

France managed to research and develop its own nuclear weapon in 1960. The test, known as, Gerboise Bleue, was the result of mostly French research. One of the main figures that played crucial role in the entire process of developing the bomb was General Pierre Marie Gallois. He was concerned that the Suez Crisis, which started in 1956, would show the world how insignificant France became, since out of all Great Powers in the world, they were the only one without possessing its own nuclear arsenal. The tests were conducted on the terrains of Sahara Desert.

At this moment France owns 300 nuclear warheads, out of which almost all are deployed. What is more, compared to Great Britain, they made more tests, approximately 210. Noteworthy is the fact that the development of the first nuclear bomb in France as well as its tests were a bit controversial. It was due to the fact that France allowed Israeli observers to attend the tests, providing them with almost unrestricted access to all the data. It was quite important, since Israel, together with United Kingdom and France, were trying to invade Egypt.

South Korea

Does not have nuclear weapons.

Military service

France

18-25 years of age for male and female voluntary military service; no conscription; 1-year service obligation; women serve in noncombat post.

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.