End-of-year Defense Budget Non-payment Causes ‘Confusion’ at Front-line Units… Ministry of Defense “Will Execute as Quickly as Possible”

Since the end of last year, the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps units have reportedly been experiencing confusion due to the lack of ‘operational maintenance funds’. These funds are typically used for purchasing supplies, outsourcing, and holding end-of-year encouragement events for soldiers. Additionally, the ‘Defense Capability Improvement Fund’ managed by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration has also not been disbursed, leaving many defense companies unable to procure materials. As of December 31st last year, approximately 1.8 trillion won was reportedly not disbursed from the national treasury. The Ministry of Economy and Finance explained that funds were allocated to the defense ministry later than to other departments because the ministry delayed disbursement until the end of the year. The Ministry of National Defense simply stated that it would work with the financial authorities and related departments to expedite the funding as quickly as possible from early January. (Video Editing: Ji Yoon-jung)