S. Korea to streamline army, beef up artillery

SEOUL, June 22 (Yonhap) -- South Korea plans to streamline its army by cutting
the number of divisions while increasing its artillery over the next decade or
so, an official said Monday.
The plan, subject to presidential approval, is part of new policy guidelines for
reform that the defense ministry is pushing to implement by 2020, the official
said, asking anonymity.
About 10 trillion won (US$7.8 billion) will be spent on introducing 1,000 K-9
self-propelled guns, while the number of army divisions will be reduced from 40
to 12, the official said.
The number of troops will stay above 500,000, the official noted. The current
size stands at 655,000.
Another 29 trillion won will go into the purchase of 640,000 shells for multiple
launch rocket systems, the official said.
"Through the guidelines, the army seeks to secure capabilities that can counter
the threat of North Korea's weapons of mass destruction," the official said.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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