Freedom is not free

SEOUL – In the not-so-distant future, wars will be fought by soldiers seated in front of computers, operating by remote control smart weapons that are faster, surgically precise and more powerful – meaning more lethally efficient than existing ones.

Touring the top companies in South Korea’s defense industry in the past days, I saw actual examples and concept models of such cutting-edge military and aerospace hardware and software.

They would seem like science fiction, except we’re seeing some of these high-tech, high-precision weapons of war already being used in Ukraine and the Middle East.

South Korea and the other big players in the global defense industry are rushing to roll out hybrid electric-powered, unmanned military vehicles – not just aircraft but also tanks, armored vehicles and submarines.

What immediately came to my mind, considering the threat posed to our country by Asia’s greedy giant, was that we lack neither the skills nor the resources to deter the threat.

China blasts our ships with water cannons with impunity, interferes with aerial patrols in our own territory and prevents our people from fishing within our maritime exclusive economic zone as defined by international law.

It might soon expand its gray zone harassment tactics against us through the use of drones and other unmanned vehicles and devices. Can we deal with such threats on our own?

We have yet to wean ourselves from reliance on Uncle Sam for our self-defense. The US is stretched thin, serving as global cop on too many fronts. And Donald Trump, who won the presidency by a landslide, will not be the last unpredictable, inward-looking, self-absorbed US president who will make the world question the reliability of America as an ally.

Trump has openly expressed his wish for America’s allies to shoulder more of the expenses for their own defense. But South Korea has been developing an independent defense capability since Richard Nixon announced a similar policy in 1969 and US troop presence in South Korea was significantly reduced.

As for us, our soldiers are proud of their uniform and will surely appreciate seeing the country get serious about developing credible, deterrent self-defense capability.

But the problem – especially with many government officials busy pocketing billions in public funds – is not just that the mind is willing but the resources are weak. An equally tough hurdle is our weakness in science, technology, mathematics and reading comprehension, which are indispensable in developing a domestic defense industry.

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Born of war, and still technically at war, South Korea saw early on the need to develop its sovereign defense capability.

The Koreans started with the local manufacture of small arms, followed by tanks and armored vehicles, since a ground invasion by the North was (and still remains) the most possible scenario.

By 1980, the South had rolled out its first naval battleship, a frigate named after Ulsan where HD Hyundai Heavy Industries built the vessel.

It put the country on the road to rapid industrialization, with the defense sector fueling growth in downstream industries, creating jobs and powering economic development.

Eventually, companies engaged in the defense industry also became major exporters. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries has become the world’s largest shipbuilder of both commercial and naval vessels.

At HD Hyundai’s massive shipyard in Ulsan, I saw workers putting the finishing touches on the first of six offshore patrol vessels that our government ordered for the Philippine Navy. The OPV is set for delivery this January, five months earlier than stipulated in the contract. I also saw some of the parts being produced for assembling the other PN orders: two frigates and two corvettes.

HD Hyundai is pitching OPVs for the Philippine Coast Guard, according to the company’s marketing team leader for its naval and special ships in the international defense program, Brian Kwon.

The Philippine government has also been exploring the feasibility of acquiring submarine capability.

HD Hyundai recently opened a facility in the former Hanjin shipyard in Subic. For now, the facility will engage mainly in maintenance, repair and overhaul, according to Kwon. He said HD Hyundai Heavy Industries is open to expanding the Subic MRO operations to shipbuilding, but this would take some time to get going.

The Ulsan shipyard can build 50 commercial vessels in one year – including the largest that can each carry up to 19,300 20-foot-equivalent shipping containers.

Last week, HD Hyundai bagged what was described as its most lucrative container ship deal ever, signing a $1.4-billion contract to build eight vessels for global shipping firm HMM, for completion by mid-2029. This brings to 116 the orders for commercial ships won by HD Hyundai for 2025.

South Korea has become a global powerhouse in defense technology. A country on war footing will be producing only the best armaments and software for its own defense and for export.

“We have to be strong. We make what can protect us,” an official of Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) told me.

The Philippines is among the believers, having ordered 12 FA-50 fighter jets from KAI that were delivered between 2015 and 2017. Last June, a deal was signed for another 12 FA-50s costing P18.9 billion, with the first two to be delivered within the Marcos administration.

South Korea, however, does not directly export defense products and services to zones of war or armed conflict.

“The aim is for deterrence to secure peace,” an official of one of South Korea’s defense industrial giants told me last week.

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South Korea is part of a global defense supply ecosystem, and competes with other countries in the sale of its products.

What are its main selling points?

The products are not only cutting-edge and upgradable, but also cost-effective or “within budget” compared to those from other countries. South Korea also guarantees on-time or even early delivery as well as solutions tailored to the client’s needs.

These days the Koreans are applying artificial intelligence and hybrid electric fuel systems to develop their next-generation products, many of which are unmanned, hybrid-electric-powered and mindful of decarbonization.

It can be disconcerting to associate green technology with lethal efficiency and firepower in weapons systems. And it would be nice to have no need for a defense industry. But the world is rarely so nice, and the potential for armed conflict is ever present.

Each country must invest in its own self-defense, some more than others.

As the entrance to the Freedom Hall at KAI’s Aerospace Museum declares, “Freedom does not come free.”