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Among the defense budgets approved yesterday by the National Assembly, there is something that stands out. Virtually the entire budget for the introduction of light aircraft carriers, which the Defense Ministry selected as one of the key forces of the future, has been cut. From the beginning, I have raised questions and as the budget is cut I wonder if the business will function properly. Reporter Kim Moon-kyung reports. On the 10th of last month, Secretary of Defense Seo-wook selected the light aircraft carrier as one of the key forces to lead future maritime security operations. The logic is that strong naval power is needed as the possibility of accidental conflict between the great powers around the Korean peninsula increases. Secretary Seo’s comments are part of the medium-term defense plan confirmed by the Defense Ministry in August. By the way, the budget to introduce light aircraft carriers from next year’s defense budget has almost been reduced. Of the 10.1 billion won requested by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, only 100 million won was reflected. The defense budget for next year is confirmed to be 52.84 trillion won, an increase of 5.4% over this year, and this is in contrast to the sharp increase in the budget for 14 power enhancement projects. defense, including military satellite communication systems and soldier masks. A military official said he knew that the Ministry of Strategy and Finance had cut the corresponding budget and said earlier measures such as the feasibility of the project and investigative services are prioritized. As a result, the Ministry of Defense has been ahead of the motivation. Accordingly, plans to load stealth F-35B vertical take-off and landing fighter jets onto light carriers are expected to be delayed. In particular, it is questionable whether the project will be a cruise ship as criticism has been raised about whether it is appropriate to operate a light aircraft carrier with a budget of several trillion won per ship on the Korean Peninsula, where the operating radius is short. The Defense Ministry indicated that it could carry out investigative services with a budget of 100 million won, and that it would carry out the project normally. I am YTN Moonkyung Kim ([email protected]).
