The concept diagram of the light carrier battle group unveiled at the ‘Light Carrier Seminar’ held by the Navy on the 4th. Navy provided
The budget for next year’s 607.7 trillion won, which was processed by the National Assembly on the 3rd, failed to reach a full agreement between the ruling and opposition parties, and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea presented it to the plenary session alone. One of the things that the opposition and opposition parties did not reach to the end was the ‘light aircraft carrier budget’. The tug-of-war was fought until the last minute over a budget that was only about 0.001% of the total budget and 0.01% of next year’s defense budget (about 55 trillion won), and in the end, the government’s original plan (7.2 billion won) was dealt with.
與 requests an increase in the Preliminary Committee after agreeing to the reduction of the National Defense Committee
The controversy arose last night. Local love gift certificates (local currency) and compensation for small business losses, which were the main issues in the budget review at the beginning, reached a considerable amount of opinion between the opposition parties, but as the Democratic Party requested an increase of KRW 500 million allocated to the light aircraft carrier budget to KRW 4.8 billion, the opposition protested
The Democratic Party reviewed the feasibility of the project and argued for an increase, saying it was necessary for national security, but criticized the people’s power as a ‘nail’ at the end of the government’s term. There is also the ‘original sin’ of the Democratic Party. The government’s budget for the light aircraft carrier project for next year was 7.2 billion won, but the National Assembly’s National Defense Committee decided to cut 93% of the budget applied for by the Ministry of National Defense at a plenary meeting on the 16th of last month, leaving only 500 million won in indirect costs. Ahn Gyu-baek, a member of the Democratic Party, opposed the budget cut, but it was in the minority. Of course, as it is possible to increase the amount even in the Preliminary Committee, the request for an increase cannot be taken into question. However, as a result, the ruling party has produced an inconsistent appearance asking for an increase in the budget agreed to by the standing committee.
What is the light carrier business that has been controversial since its introduction?
A light carrier, the long-awaited project of the Navy, is a ship equipped with detection equipment and defensive armament, carrying various aircraft, and carrying out maritime control and amphibious missions. A total of about 2 trillion won is invested in launching one ship. The military authorities announced that they would introduce one 30,000-ton light carrier by 2032.
The light carrier, however, was divided even at the time of the decision to introduce it. Even within the military, it is being argued that the effectiveness of the light carrier is low considering the armed capabilities of the light carrier. If the operational goal is not clear and there are not enough destroyers to protect the light carrier, it can be easily exposed to enemy attacks.
“The next government must decide,” but what’s the point?
The opposition is also divided. Members of the Democratic Party’s National Defense Committee emphasized the need to build in order to respond to China and Japan, saying, “Japan has two light aircraft carriers and plans to build two more, and China also has nine.” The fact that the light aircraft carrier project was included in President Moon’s promise to “nurture a strong military” seems to have been taken into account.
On the other hand, considering that the power of the people requires trillions of won to be built, it is an inefficient project. He argued that the increase this time could also be a violation of the next government’s decision-making rights. However, the opposition’s argument is skeptical as to whether there is an intention to put Moon’s pledged budget into the current government’s last budget. In the same vein, floor leader Kim Ki-hyeon argued at the general assembly of the House of Representatives on the 2nd, “The Moon Jae-in administration has only four months left, and deciding whether to introduce a light aircraft carrier is a nail-biting nail.”
Kim Bu-gyeom “It’s not a matter the government decided overnight”
Prime Minister Kim Bu-gyeom met with reporters on the same day and said, “It has been more than 20 years since we planned and started this project, and the naval role itself is not just for power enhancement that is conscious of neighboring countries as in the past, but ‘exporting Korea’ in the future. It will become a major resource for ‘,” he said, adding, “It is not a matter that the government decided overnight.” “We will proceed by explaining to the people one by one about the various issues that have been raised,” he said.
Jin Goo Kang reporter realnine@hankookilbo.com
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