South Korea plans to replace a significant portion of its frontline troops along the North Korea border with AI-based surveillance systems as part of a long-term military restructuring.
The plan, as reported by NK News, would cut frontline guard forces from around 22,000 to roughly 6,000, with remaining personnel repositioned to rear areas for rapid deployment.
AI-enabled surveillance systems are expected to take over routine monitoring tasks, allowing broader coverage with fewer troops along the highly-contested border.
Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said the shift is driven by demographic pressure, warning that “the demographic cliff … is now approaching as a security reality” and will sharply reduce the pool of available conscripts.
He also pointed to changing battlefield dynamics, noting that “asymmetric patterns — in which cheap drones neutralize high-priced advanced weapons — [are] becoming the norm.”
The move aligns with Seoul’s broader push to integrate artificial intelligence across its military under its Defense AX initiative, embedding AI into surveillance, weapons systems, and command networks.
