South Korea's Defense Ministry is preparing to slash the number of troops stationed at frontline general outposts along the demilitarized zone with North Korea by nearly 75 percent over the next decade or two, replacing many soldiers with artificial intelligence-powered surveillance systems, drones and combat robots amid a severe demographic-driven manpower shortage.
The plan would reduce personnel at the heavily fortified general outposts, known as GOPs, from the current approximately 22,000 troops to around 6,000 by 2040. The remaining 16,000 soldiers would be redeployed to rear positions for rapid response in emergencies, shifting from a linear, manpower-intensive border defense to a technology-driven, wide-area security model.
