[2026 Parliamentary Audit] Army Pushes to Establish GOP Security Brigades

Phased Plan to Establish Corps-Level GOP Security Brigades Drawn Up This Year

The Army plans to establish a GOP guard brigade dedicated to operations along the front-line Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), specializing border security operations by corps.

At an audit of the Army Headquarters by the National Assembly's National Defense Committee at Gyeryongdae on October 19, the Army presented the plan, saying, "Through military structure reform and the modernization of border security systems, we will transform the manpower-centered GOP and coastal security systems into an AI-based advanced surveillance system."

This year, the Army drew up a phased plan to reform the GOP force structure: first, establish GOP guard regiments under divisions (Phase 1), followed by GOP guard brigades under corps (Phase 2). Previously, brigades divided up GOP sectors and conducted security operations. Going forward, the Army will establish corps-level GOP guard brigades dedicated to GOP security operations, centralizing front-line security operations under each corps.

Members of the National Assembly's National Defense Committee visit the Army's 25th Division, where a landmine explosion occurred, and watch soldiers demonstrate mine detection operations. Sept. 28, 2026. Photo by the National Assembly Photographers' Group.

As a result, units in the Forward Edge of the Battle Area (FEBA), behind the GOP, will be able to focus on training and combat readiness without rotating into the GOP. Instead, the Army will establish one infantry battalion in each forward brigade stationed in the FEBA to ensure each brigade is organizationally complete. The Army plans to establish and operate GOP guard regiments in the areas of the 5th and 22nd Divisions starting October 1, 2027. It will first operate the division-level GOP guard regiments and, based on that experience, proceed in stages toward establishing corps-level GOP guard brigades.

The Army also plans to complete upgrades to its advanced border surveillance system by 2028 and establish an AI-based system for controlling security operations by 2033, as part of its efforts to develop an AI-based advanced security system in front-line areas. It aims to transition its coastal security system to an AI-based system by 2031.

The Army is working to transition to an AI-based, manned-unmanned integrated advanced security system by 2040, the target year for the next defense reform. To this end, it will deploy quadruped robots and reconnaissance drones as surveillance assets for security operation units, and strengthen its strike capabilities with suicide drones, integrated counter-drone systems, and fixed, multi-purpose remote-controlled firing systems.

Based on the establishment of AI-based advanced surveillance systems in front-line GOP units, the Ministry of National Defense is gradually pursuing a plan to reduce the number of security personnel from the current 22,000 to around 6,000 by 2040.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.