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Military power of South Korea & Turkey
South Korea vs Turkey
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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 militaryTurkey is a country located in Southeastern Europe and Southwestern Asia (that portion of Turkey west of the Bosporus is geographically part of Europe) with an area of 783,562 km2 (land boundries: 2,816 km and costline 7,200 km). The capital of Turkey is Ankara. The number of inhabitants is 83,614,362.
Turkey has been a member of NATO since 1952 and hosts NATO's Land Forces Command in Izmir. Under a long-range strategic plan, the Turkish Armed Forces continued efforts to modernize its equipment and force structure. The Turkish Armed Forces inventory is mostly comprised of a mix of domestically-produced and Western weapons systems. In 2019 Turkey purchased the Russian S-400 air defense system. That complicated its relationship with NATO. Turkey has a strong defense industry capable of producing a range of weapons systems for both export and internal use.
More about Turkey militaryIf you want to check the comparison in terms of economic ratios check out CompareEconomy.com
Military expenditures
 KR |  TR | |
|---|---|---|
| Military budget: | 44 billion $ | 15.8 billion $ |
| Percent of GDP: | 2.5% | 1.5% |
Manpower
| KR | TR | |
|---|---|---|
| Active personnel: | 555,000 | 425,000 |
| Reserve personnel: | 2,750,000 | 200,000 |
| Available for military: | 13,185,794 | 21,079,077 |
Land Forces
| KR | TR | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Tanks: | 2,606 | 2,203 | |
| Armoured fighting vehicles: | 4,380 | 9,323 | |
| Total artillery: | 7,468 | 3,103 | |
| Self-propelled artillery: | 3,040 | 1,034 | |
| Rocket artillery: | 574 | 322 |
Air Forces
| KR | TR | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Total aircraft: | 1,585 | 1,408 | |
| Fighter aircraft: | 156 | 19 | |
| Multirole aircraft: | 371 | 234 | |
| Attack aircraft: | 0 | 0 | |
| Helicopters: | 757 | 349 | |
| UCAV (combat drone): | 0 | 443 |
Navy
| KR | TR | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Total naval: | 195 | 191 | |
| Aircraftcarriers: | 2 | 1 | |
| Destroyers: | 12 | 0 | |
| Frigates: | 18 | 17 | |
| Corvettes: | 11 | 9 | |
| Submarines: | 22 | 12 |
☢ Nuclear weapons
South Korea
Does not have nuclear weapons.
Turkey
Turkey participates in the NATO nuclear weapons sharing arrangements and trains for delivering United States nuclear warheads.
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.
Turkey
21-41 years of age for male compulsory military service; 18 years of age for voluntary service; 12 months conscript obligation for non-university graduates, 6-12 months for university graduates (graduates of higher education may perform 6 months of military service as short-term privates, or 12 months as reserve officers); conscripts are called to register at age 20, for service at 21; women serve in the Turkish Armed Forces only as officers; reserve obligation to age 41; Turkish citizens with a residence or work permit who have worked abroad for at least 3 years (1095 days) can be exempt from military service in exchange for 6,000 EUR or its equivalent in foreign currencies; a law passed in December 2014 introduced a one-time payment scheme which exempted Turkish citizens 27 and older from conscription in exchange for a payment of $8,150.
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