S. Korea to spend additional 447 billion won on national defense

By Sam Kim

SEOUL, April 30 (Yonhap) -- The defense ministry said Thursday it will spend an additional 447 billion won (US$339 million) this year to improve housing for its frontline troops and hire more officers while stimulating the economy in the process.

The announcement came a day after the National Assembly passed an additional
budget of 28.4 trillion won (US$21.5 billion) to help the world's 13th-largest
economy combat slowdowns affecting businesses.
The Ministry of National Defense had initially requested about 600 billion won
(US$454 million).
South Korea's economy is expected to contract over 2 percent this year, the first
negative growth in more than a decade, as the global recession dents demand for
goods at home and abroad.
President Lee Myung-bak has said his government will frontload its budget and
come up with additional spending to boost the economy.
The ministry said in a release about 7 percent of the latest extra budget will be
spent on projects "that can be promptly implemented and effectively create jobs."
About 250 billion won (US$189 million) will be spent on renovating barracks along
the border with North Korea or buying about 1,500 civilian apartments to replace
outdated military facilities, the ministry said.
The ministry said it also plans to spend a small portion of its extra budget to
hire an additional 1,200 non-commissioned officers as unemployment continues to
be a source of economic gloom.
South Korea will spend a total of 28.9 trillion won (US$21.8 billion) this year
on its defense, which remains one of South Korea's highest priorities as the
country remains technically at war with North Korea after the 1950-53 Korean War
ended in a truce.