David Maxwell discusses South Korea's military spending increase, the largest in over 15 years, which supports the goal of developing independent warfighting capabilities and transitioning operational control (OPCON). He clarifies that the complexity of

The John Batchelor Show

John Batchelor

Society & Culture, Arts, News, Books

4.5 • 2.8K Ratings

🗓️ 2 October 2025

⏱️ 11 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

David Maxwell discusses South Korea's military spending increase, the largest in over 15 years, which supports the goal of developing independent warfighting capabilities and transitioning operational control (OPCON). He clarifies that the complexity of OPCON transfer is often misunderstood as a sovereignty issue. Maxwell notes that North Korea is thriving due to growing support from China and Russia, making Kim Jong-un less motivated to normalize relations with the United States.

Transcript

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0:17.9	Visit sumup.co.uk to learn more.
0:24.0	This is CBSI on the world.
0:26.3	I'm John Bachelor.
0:27.3	Gordon Chang at Gordon G. Chang, my colleague and co-host,
0:31.0	and we're very pleased to welcome David Maxwell,
0:33.7	our guide on matters of the Korean Peninsula.
0:37.6	David, the headline in the Financial Times in these last hours,
0:41.5	South Korea raises military spending by most in more than 15 years.
0:46.3	Subhead, the president of South Korea, Mr. Yi, Jiam Young,
0:53.3	vows to step up defense budget following U.S. pressure on Asian allies.
0:58.9	Is this a surprise, David?
1:00.8	What does it mean for the region and for relations with the U.S.?
1:04.4	Good evening to you.
1:06.6	Good evening.
1:07.9	No, I don't think that's a surprise at all.
1:11.3	You know, traditionally progressive governments have increased defense spending, I think, mostly
	...

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