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South Korean military R&D agency From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Agency for Defense Development (ADD, Korean: 국방과학연구소; Hanja: 國防科學硏究所; RR: Gukbang Gwahak Yeonguso) is the South Korean government agency for research and development in defense technology, funded by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA). It was established in August 1970 under the banner of the self-reliant national defense promoted by President Park Chung Hee.[6]
| 국방과학연구소 Gukbang Gwahak Yeonguso | |
| |
 Headquarters in Yuseong District, Daejeon | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 6 August 1970 |
| Preceding agency | |
| Jurisdiction | Government of South Korea |
| Headquarters | 160, Bugyuseong-daero 488beon-gil, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, South Korea 36.4184077°N 127.3225271°E |
| Motto | "Defending our nation with the strength of our own science and technology!"[3] |
| Employees | 3,432 (2023)[4] |
| Annual budget | ₩1.485 trillion US$1.188 billion (2022)[5] |
| Agency executives |
|
| Parent department | Defense Acquisition Program Administration |
| Website | Official ADD website in English Official ADD website in Korean |
Its purpose is contributing to enforcing the national defence, to improving the national R&D capacity, and to fostering the domestic defense industry. ADD focuses on core weapons systems and core technology development, and studies major weapons platforms in high-risk and non-economical fields, unmanned and advanced, and new weapon systems for the future.
ADD is responsible for first South Korean ballistic missile Nike Hercules Korea-1 aka White/Polar Bear, developed in the 1970s with its first successful test in 1978.[7]
ADD is the operator of South Korea's first dedicated military satellite, ANASIS-II, launched on 20 July 2020 by a Falcon 9 rocket.[8]
| Agency for Defense Development | |
| Hangul | |
|---|---|
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Gukbang Gwahak Yeonguso |
| McCune–Reischauer | Kukpang Kwahak Yŏn'guso |
After the three-year Korean War, which ended in an armistice rather than an end-of-war agreement, South Korea and North Korea were in conflict during the Cold War. Since the Mutual Defense Treaty signed in October 1953, South Korea has been making efforts to rebuild its economy while receiving military aid from the United States.[9] Despite military aid from the U.S. and abroad, in July 1954, Rhee Syng-man, then the first president of the South Korean government, established the Ministry of National Defense Scientific Research Institute to foster independent defense production capabilities, and the South Korean government's attempt to produce its own military supplies has contributed to the localization of military supplies such as military food, combat uniforms, and defense components that relied solely on foreign aid.[1][2]
After the Nixon Doctrine announced on July 25, 1969, about 20,000 U.S. troops in South Korea withdrew, creating an atmosphere of reconciliation between the United States and the Eastern Bloc. President Park Chung-hee, who has been in power since December 1963, believed that the withdrawal of Nixon Doctrine and U.S. troops from South Korea would weaken the military power of South Korea, which relied on the U.S., and North Korea's military provocations against the South, which began in the late 1960s, surged further, and the South Korean government began to feel the need for self-reliant national defense, which did not rely on U.S. military aid. Later, in August 1970, the Agency for Defense Development was established, and in November of the following year, it started an independent defense development project called the Basic Weapon Emergency Prototype Development.[9][10]
However, in the 1970s, South Korea had poor basic industries and systems to develop and stably produce military equipment. In 1973, the South Korean government designated heavy and chemical industries such as steel, machinery, chemicals, and Petroleum as national strategic industries to foster basic industries. Later, in February 1974, the eight-year military construction defense plan (군사력 건설 국방 8개년 계획), called Yulgok Project, began, which included plans to strengthen the South Korean military's power.[9][10][11]
Development programs for defense technology are categorized into basic research and development, key technology R&D, civil-military technology cooperation, and essential parts, software development and technology demonstration of new concepts. Almost all major development projects are collaborating with ADD and South Korean defense company, most of the key technologies are developed under the initiative of the ADD, and private defense companies are responsible for the development of the remaining sub-technology and the production of essential parts and finished products.[14]
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