The Ministry of National Defense is set to resume publishing its Defense White Paper after a four-year hiatus caused by the December 3 martial law crisis. Reports suggest the ministry is considering removing the phrase North Korea is the enemy. Officials stated they plan to review this based on the government’s North Korea policy and gather input from various sources.
The previous administration under President Yoon Suk Yeol had designated North Korea as an enemy in the 2022 Defense White Paper. However, under the new Lee Jae Myung government’s policy of easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula, this designation may be removed.
On Thursday, Rep. Kang Dae-sik of the National Defense Committee reported that the Ministry of Defense responded to inquiries about whether Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Jin Young-seung still consider the North Korean military and regime as its enemy, as they stated in their confirmation hearings. The Ministry replied that they are currently drafting the 2026 Defense White Paper and will review the terminology regarding North Korea based on government policy and diverse opinions.
Given the government’s peaceful coexistence approach to North Korea, analysts interpret this as a potential shift away from labeling North Korea as an enemy in the Defense White Paper.
Previously, Minister Ahn stated during his July confirmation hearing that since the Kim Dae-jung administration, it’s been clear that North Korea’s military and regime are the enemies. His view on this hasn’t changed. Chairman Jin also emphasized in his September hearing that the North Korean regime and military are undoubtedly the enemies.
The Defense White Paper outlines South Korea’s defense policy objectives and assesses military threats from North Korea. The Ministry first published it in 1967, issued it annually from 1988 to 2000, and has released it biennially since 2004.
Rather than just presenting policy visions, the White Paper evaluates policy implementation and current situations, typically released in December or early the following year.
The definition of enemy in the White Paper has fluctuated with changes in administration. The Kim Young-sam government first referred to North Korea as the primary enemy in the 1995 edition. This term was removed during the Roh Moo-hyun era, reinstated under Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye, and omitted again during Moon Jae-in’s presidency.
The Moon administration’s 2018 Defense White Paper replaced the North Korea = enemy phrase with a broader definition: Its military considers any force that threatens or violates the sovereignty, territory, people, and property of the Republic of Korea as the enemy.
This upcoming White Paper, the first since the change in administration, is expected to address the new government’s stance on North Korea, the transfer of wartime operational control, revival of the September 19 military agreement, and analysis of the U.S.’s new defense strategy (NDS 2026), which focuses on alliance modernization and strategic flexibility.
It’s also likely to cover South Korea’s military response and strategy regarding the rapidly evolving situation in the Middle East following U.S. and Israeli airstrikes in Iran.