Military power of United Kingdom & South Korea
United Kingdom vs South Korea
Show map
United Kingdom is a country located in Western Europe with an area of 242,495 km2 (land boundries: 499 km and costline 12,429 km). The capital of United Kingdom is London. The number of inhabitants is 67,886,004.
the UK is a member of NATO and was one of the original 12 countries to sign the North Atlantic Treaty in 1949. The UK is also a member of the Five Powers Defense Arrangements reached in 1971 embracing also Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore. The inventory of the British military is comprised of a mix of domestically-produced and imported Western weapons systems. The Uunited States is the leading supplier of armaments. United Kingdom defense industry is capable of producing a wide variety of weapons systems and is one of the world's top weapons suppliers.
More about United Kingdom militarySouth 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 militaryIf you want to check the comparison in terms of economic ratios check out CompareEconomy.com
Military expenditures
 GB |  KR | |
|---|---|---|
| Military budget: | 58.2 billion $ | 50.2 billion $ |
| Percent of GDP: | 2.2% | 2.8% |
Manpower
| GB | KR | |
|---|---|---|
| Active personnel: | 148,220 | 555,000 |
| Reserve personnel: | 37,000 | 2,750,000 |
| Available for military: | 14,856,917 | 13,185,794 |
Land Forces
| GB | KR | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Tanks: | 286 | 2,606 | |
| Armoured fighting vehicles: | 4,644 | 4,380 | |
| Total artillery: | 259 | 7,468 | |
| Self-propelled artillery: | 89 | 3,040 | |
| Rocket artillery: | 44 | 574 |
Air Forces
| GB | KR | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Total aircraft: | 996 | 1,585 | |
| Fighter aircraft: | 157 | 156 | |
| Multirole aircraft: | 21 | 371 | |
| Attack aircraft: | 0 | 0 | |
| Helicopters: | 359 | 757 | |
| UCAV (combat drone): | 9 | 0 |
Navy
| GB | KR | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Total naval: | 74 | 195 | |
| Aircraftcarriers: | 1 | 2 | |
| Destroyers: | 6 | 12 | |
| Frigates: | 12 | 18 | |
| Corvettes: | 0 | 11 | |
| Submarines: | 10 | 22 |
☢ Nuclear weapons
United Kingdom
Third out of fifth nuclear-weapon states that are under the NPT, the treaty of the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. The first successful test in the nuclear history of Great Britain occurred in October 1952, three years after Russia’s first successful attempt. “Hurricane”, which was the codename for the test assumed the use of 3 megaton bomb, which was dropped in Australia. The UK itself did not have many tests after that. Comparing to a thousand and hundreds of tests by Americans and Russians, the Brits made only 45 tests of nuclear arsenal.
We should remember about the fact that United Kingdom was in a strict cooperation with United States at the very beginning. It means that we cannot forget about the tremendous help the Americans received from the British government and men of science while developing their first nuclear bomb. Unfortunately, all the data that USA could not be sent back to the UK, since the cooperation has ended prematurely. This was one of the reasons why UK developed their first nuclear weapon so late. At this moment, they possess 215 warheads in total, out of which 120 is deployed and completely operational.
South Korea
Does not have nuclear weapons.
Military service
United Kingdom
16-33 years of age (officers 17-28) for voluntary military service (with parental consent under 18); no conscription; women serve in military services, but are excluded from ground combat positions and some naval postings; must be citizen of the UK, Commonwealth, or Republic of Ireland; reservists serve a minimum of 3 years, to age 45 or 55; 17 years 6 months of age for voluntary military service by Nepalese citizens in the Brigade of Gurkhas; 16-34 years of age for voluntary military service by Papua New Guinean citizens.
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.