Ministry of National Defense

Name

Ministry of National Defense

Legal name

Ministry of National Defense

Website

https://mnd.go.kr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

National Defense Administration

NAICS

National Security (928110), International Affairs (92812), National Security and International Affairs (928)

akta.pro primary industry

Military Operations & Force Readiness (BPAIAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Defense Acquisition, Procurement & Contracting (BPAIAHAB), Intelligence (Strategic, Tactical & Technical) (BPAIAHAD), Defense Infrastructure, Installations & Base Operations (BPAIAHAK), Defense & Security (EDABALAH)

Keywords

• National defense administration
• Defense policy
• Military recruitment
• Defense innovation
• Military welfare services

Headquarters

HQ city

Seoul

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Ministry of National Defense oversees South Korea's national defense policy, military administration, and armed forces operations (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps). It delivers e-government defense services through digital portals, manages military personnel recruitment and welfare programs, drives defense innovation through AI integration and unmanned combat systems development, and coordinates international defense cooperation with allied nations.

Product overview

The Ministry of National Defense operates a comprehensive digital ecosystem serving South Korea's defense needs. The core infrastructure includes the Defense Information Portal (mnd.go.kr) providing e-government services, the Defense Certification Issuance System for military paperwork, the Defense Public Data Portal for data access, and the Military Recruitment System across all service branches. Strategic initiatives include Defense Innovation 4.0 with AX AI hubs and AI command systems deployment, the Defense Drone Challenge promoting counter-drone technologies, and the AI Application Product Rapid Commercialization Support program. The Ministry also operates the Cyber Memorial Hall honoring fallen soldiers, manages welfare programs including Hero with Hana and Our Hero for injured service members, and oversees the Defense Agency for KIA Recovery and Identification conducting joint US-Korea excavations. The military platforms include indigenous systems (K1 battle tank, K9 artillery, Surion helicopter, KF-21 Boramae fighter) alongside international acquisitions (F-35A, AH-64 Apache, Aegis destroyers), supported by elite forces including the Cheonghaejin naval special warfare brigade.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 국방혁신 4.0 (Defense Innovation 4.0): Defense reform initiative focusing on AI integration, unmanned systems, and modernization through 2040
• 우리 히어로 (Our Hero)
• Hero with Hana
• Sovereign AI Foundation Model
• 장병e음

Products and services

• Defense Information Portal (국방부 누리집) The official e-government portal of the Republic of Korea Ministry of National Defense, providing public access to defense policies, military service information, news, recruitment, welfare services, and administrative functions including civil complaints, information disclosure, and public participation.
• Defense Certification Issuance System (국방증명서 발급시스템) Online system for issuing military service certificates including career certificates for reserve forces, military record verification, and discharge documentation. Enables online processing of military administrative paperwork.
• Defense Public Data Portal (국방공공 데이터포털) Portal providing public access to defense-related datasets in compliance with Korea's Public Data Provision and Utilization Promotion Act. Allows citizens to request and access defense statistics and operational data.
• Military Recruitment System (군 모집 시스템) Integrated online platform for recruiting military personnel across all branches including Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. Provides application processing, eligibility screening, and assignment management.
• Defense Drone Challenge (국방부장관배 드론챌린지) Defense Minister-sponsored drone competition platform promoting development of counter-drone and drone technologies. The 2026 Republic of Korea Drone Combat Competition is being organized to foster civilian technology development and industry activation.
• Cyber Memorial Hall (호국영웅 사이버 추모관) Digital memorial service honoring fallen soldiers and national heroes who sacrificed for the country. Provides virtual commemoration space with remembrance wall, memorial information, and gratitude expression features.
• AI Application Product Rapid Commercialization Support (AI응용제품신속상용화지원사업) Defense Ministry program supporting rapid commercialization of AI applications for military use. Provides funding and resources for defense AI technology development including agent systems and autonomous capabilities.
• Hero with Hana Welfare Program Joint program between Hana Financial Group and Ministry of National Defense providing approximately 1 billion won annually in financial support to around 300 injured service members and families, covering medical expenses, rehabilitation, prosthetics, and educational equipment.
• Our Hero Social Contribution Program (우리 히어로) Social contribution program providing 3 billion won over three years to families of soldiers who died in the line of duty and military personnel struggling due to injuries. Includes AI video production to honor fallen heroes.
• Military Human Resources Recruitment Portal (군무원 모집) Online portal for recruiting civilian military personnel (군무원) across Ministry of National Defense and service branches. Handles applications, screening, and hiring for non-military defense jobs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50,000 personnel capable of operating advanced weapons systems through selective recruitment system
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Woori Financial GroupminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 June 2026Woori Financial signed a business agreement with MND to expand the 'Our Hero' social contribution project. Over three years, the company will provide 3 billion won in support to families of soldiers who died in the line of duty and injured military personnel. The partnership includes a social media campaign '2026 Our Hero Memory Campaign' producing AI videos to honor fallen heroes.
• Hana Financial GroupminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 June 2026Hana Financial Group and MND signed MOU to launch the 'Hero with Hana' welfare program providing approximately 1 billion won ($657,000) annually to around 300 injured service members and their families. The program covers medical expenses, rehabilitation, psychological treatment, assistive devices, and educational equipment for children of fallen or injured service members.
• SK TelecomcoreTechnology or Integration · 24 May 2026SK Telecom signed MOU with MND to apply MSIT's Sovereign AI Foundation Model to defense applications, marking the first such deployment in the defense domain. SKT will adapt its hyperscale AI models including the 519-billion-parameter A.X K1 for defense use through model compression and training on defense-specific data. MND provides GPU resources through MSIT's National AI Project.
• Republic of India Ministry of DefencecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 May 2026India and South Korea signed defense cooperation agreements during Defense Minister Rajnath Singh's visit to Seoul, covering maritime security, emerging technologies, military exchanges, and logistics. Agreements include collaboration on cyber defence, training exchanges between India's National Defence College and Korea National Defence University, and UN peacekeeping cooperation. Both sides discussed joint development, joint production, and joint export opportunities.
• Saab (Sweden)coreTechnology or Integration · 14 November 2025Colombia's Ministry of National Defence signed a fixed-price €3.135 billion contract with Saab for 17 Gripen E/F fighter jets (15 single-seat Es and two two-seat Fs). The aircraft will replace the Colombian Aerospace Force's aging IAI Kfir fleet, with deliveries beginning 2026 and all aircraft in service by 2032. The deal includes state-of-the-art weaponry, training, maintenance, staggered payments, and an industrial offset program.
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Far East District (USACE FED)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 September 2025USACE FED and MND-Defense Installations Agency (MND-DIA) hosted their second joint symposium in Seoul to strengthen collaboration on military construction projects. The two-day event covered quality assurance processes, safety procedures, local building materials compliance with U.S. codes, and construction schedule review.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Australian Department of Defence: Australia's Defence Department is a direct Indo-Pacific peer pursuing AI-enabled force design, AUKUS-derived strategic capabilities, and interoperability with U.S. forces — closely comparable in mission and reform posture.
• U.S. Department of Defense: The U.S. DoD is the closest peer — a national defense ministry overseeing the largest defense budget and most advanced military; it is Korea's primary alliance partner and the entity from which major capability transfers (e.g., nuclear submarine approval) flow.
• Japan Ministry of Defense: Japan's MOD is a direct peer — a neighboring Indo-Pacific defense ministry facing similar threats, pursuing AI and unmanned modernization, and coordinating closely with both the U.S. and Korea on trilateral security cooperation.
• Republic of India Ministry of Defence: India's MoD is a direct peer that has signed new bilateral defense cooperation agreements with the ROK MND covering cyber defence, training exchanges, and joint development/production/export.
• Republic of China (Taiwan) Ministry of National Defense: Taiwan's MND shares the same name and mandate, operates a similarly structured e-government portal and defense public-data infrastructure, and faces overlapping regional threat dynamics — making it a near-twin functional peer.

Broad incumbents

• French Ministry of Armed Forces: France's Ministry of Armed Forces is a broader incumbent peer — a sovereign defense ministry with an indigenous industrial base and nuclear deterrent, comparable in its drive for strategic autonomy and export competitiveness.
• German Federal Ministry of Defence: Germany's BMVg is a broader incumbent peer — a European defense ministry undergoing AI-driven modernization, structural reform, and major capability investments amid shifting security posture.
• United Kingdom Ministry of Defence: The UK MOD is a broader incumbent peer — a mature Western defense ministry that, like Korea's MND, is integrating AI and unmanned systems into legacy force structures and managing similar procurement and reform challenges.
• Israel Ministry of Defense: Israel's MoD is a broad incumbent peer — a defense ministry with deep indigenous defense-tech ecosystem, aggressive AI/unmanned adoption, and a strong export orientation comparable to Korea's emerging defense-export strategy.

Others

• Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA): DAPA is an adjacent ecosystem peer — Korea's defense procurement agency, organizationally linked to the MND and the entity responsible for the procurement quality and acquisition reform decisions that directly affect the MND's modernization outcomes.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/rok_mnd
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ROKMND2020
• Facebookfacebook.com/MNDKOR
• Instagraminstagram.com/rokmnd_official

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Ministry of National Defense