Overview
- The Defense Ministry posted a legislative notice on Dec. 19, opened a public comment period through Friday, and targets implementation early next year pending final approval.
- The North Korea Strategy Division will revert to the North Korea Policy Division to reinforce legitimacy for inter-Korean military talks and confidence-building measures.
- Officials frame the change as enabling gradual revival of the Sept. 19, 2018 military accord, beginning with measures to reduce risks of accidental clashes in the air, then on land and at sea.
- A long-dormant assistant minister post will be revived to oversee defense AI planning, force development policy, informatization and logistics management.
- The Advanced Force Planning Bureau will be spun off as a new Defense AI Planning Bureau with an added division and seven staff, and a separate draft provision dissolves the Office of Military Resources Management while creating a vice minister-level organization to act as an AI policy control tower.