South Korea’s growing investment in unmanned ground vehicles may look like a push to modernize its military, but a key driver is the country’s shrinking pool of available soldiers.
South Korea’s growing investment in unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) may look like a push to modernize its military, but a key driver is the country’s shrinking pool of available soldiers, according to British analytics firm GlobalData.
Seoul had approximately 450,000 active-duty troops in 2025, down from around 560,000 in 2019. The decline has encouraged the country to explore robotic platforms for roles that would otherwise require additional personnel.
GlobalData projects South Korea will spend roughly $140 million on ground robotics procurement through 2036, with UGVs expected to perform missions including logistics, surveillance, and mine clearance.
Read the full story on our new publication, The Drone Front: South Korea’s UGV Buildup a Manpower Fix, Not a Technology Push: Report
