Military power of South Korea & Iran
South Korea vs Iran
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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 militaryIran is a country located in Middle East with an area of 1,648,195 km2 (land boundries: 5,894 km and costline 2,440 km - note: Iran also borders the Caspian Sea (740 km)). The capital of Iran is Tehran. The number of inhabitants is 83,183,741.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was formed in May 1979. The IRGC was a highly institutionalized and parallel military force to Iran’s regular armed forces. The Iranian military's inventory includes a mix of domestically-produced and mostly older foreign equipment largely of Chinese, Russian, Soviet, and US origin. Iran has a defense industry with the capacity to develop, produce, support, and sustain air, land, missile, and naval weapons programs.
More about Iran militaryIf you want to check the comparison in terms of economic ratios check out CompareEconomy.com
Military expenditures
 KR |  IR | |
|---|---|---|
| Military budget: | 50.2 billion $ | 25 billion $ |
| Percent of GDP: | 2.8% | 2.5% |
Manpower
| KR | IR | |
|---|---|---|
| Active personnel: | 555,000 | 610,000 |
| Reserve personnel: | 2,750,000 | 350,000 |
| Available for military: | 13,185,794 | 23,619,215 |
Land Forces
| KR | IR | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Tanks: | 2,606 | 2,842 | |
| Armoured fighting vehicles: | 4,380 | 3,555 | |
| Total artillery: | 7,468 | 4,873 | |
| Self-propelled artillery: | 3,040 | 1,030 | |
| Rocket artillery: | 574 | 1,755 |
Air Forces
| KR | IR | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Total aircraft: | 1,585 | 973 | |
| Fighter aircraft: | 156 | 112 | |
| Multirole aircraft: | 371 | 75 | |
| Attack aircraft: | 0 | 23 | |
| Helicopters: | 757 | 519 | |
| UCAV (combat drone): | 0 | 83 |
Navy
| KR | IR | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Total naval: | 195 | 272 | |
| Aircraftcarriers: | 2 | 0 | |
| Destroyers: | 12 | 0 | |
| Frigates: | 18 | 6 | |
| Corvettes: | 11 | 3 | |
| Submarines: | 22 | 19 |
☢ Nuclear weapons
South Korea
Does not have nuclear weapons.
Iran
Does not have nuclear weapons.
Military service
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.
Iran
18 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age for volunteers; 17 years of age for Law Enforcement Forces; 15 years of age for Basij Forces (Popular Mobilization Army); conscript military service obligation is 18 months; women exempt from military service.