S. Korea to delay troop reduction by 8 yrs
SEOUL, June 30 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will slow down its drive to reduce the number of its troops amid budget setbacks and growing military threats from North Korea, the Defense Ministry said Tuesday.
The ministry initially offered to cut the number of active-duty soldiers from the current 630,000 to 526,200 by 2022 as part of reform efforts.
But it has proposed a revision bill to change the target year to 2030, according to a ministry official.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, he pointed out North Korea's military threats have continued to grow.
Financial support from the government has also fallen short of expectations at the time of when the previous scheme was crafted by the former Lee Myung-bak administration, added the official.
pbr@yna.co.kr
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