The budget proposal calls for an annual 7.2 percent increase in defense expenditures during the five-year period, compared with a 6 percent rise for the 2013-2017 period.
Of the money, 70.2 trillion won would be used to beef up defense capabilities, up 6.1 trillion won from the 2013-2017 period.
About 7.8 trillion won and 1.8 trillion won would be set aside to build the "Kill Chain," a pre-emptive missile destruction system, and the Korea Air and Missile Defense (KAMD), respectively.
Kill Chain is to detect and strike North Korea's missile and nuclear facilities. KAMD, including Patriot missiles and long-range early warning radars, is an independent, low-tier missile shield.
The measures come after North Korea successfully launched a long-range rocket in December last year and conducted its third nuclear test in February, and as South Korea has been preparing to regain wartime operational control (OPCON) of its troops from the United States in December 2015. South Korea handed over OPCON to the U.S.-led U.N. forces during the 1950-53 Korean War. Seoul regained peacetime OPCON in 1994.
Other plans include:
-- Replacing aging K-1 and U.S.-built M48 tanks with next-generation K-2 battle tanks, and buying large combat helicopters and next-generation multiple rocket launchers in the next five years.
-- Building 5,000-ton destroyers, 1,800-ton submarines and landing platform ships.
-- Deploying 60 next-generation fighter jets to replace its aging fleet of F-4s and F-5s beginning in 2017.
-- Improving soldiers' welfare and doubling their salaries. For instance, corporals' monthly pay would rise to 195,800 won ($175) in 2017 from 97,500 won in 2013. During campaigns, President Park Geun-hye promised to double soldiers' pay.
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