N. Korea adds more tanks, artillery guns to arsenal

SEOUL, Sept. 18 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has increased its number of tanks and gunners over the past 10 years, while South Korea has cut down on vessels and fighter jets, South Korean military data showed Sunday. According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), North Korea added about 300 tanks and 1,200 artillery guns over the past decade. The report comparing the armed forces of the two Koreas was submitted to the National Assembly ahead of the annual parliamentary inspection. The report claimed that over the same period, the number of North Korean troops went up from 1.17 million to 1.19 million. The JCS noted that financial difficulties haven't prevented the North from bolstering its military. On the other hand, North Korea slashed the number of its vessels from about 900 to 740, and its submarines from about 90 to 70. There were 870 fighter jets in the North in 2000, but 820 last year. The number of South Korean military vessels fell from about 180 to 160 over the past decade. Seoul also reduced its fleet of fighter planes, the report said, from about 540 in 2000 to some 460 last year. The JCS said about half of the fighter jets in operation by the South Korean Air Force are outdated models that have been around for 25 to 30 years. It estimated there will only be about 300 fighters by 2020. South Korea pushed up the number of its tanks slightly to about 2,360 to 2,400, and its artillery guns from 5,180 to 5,400, the report said. The number of South Korean troops fell from 690,000 in 2000 to 650,000 last year, as the defense ministry tries to streamline its armed forces as part of the defense reform plan. The two Koreas remain technically at war with each other since the 1950-53 Korean War ended on an armistice, not a peace treaty.