Source: The Conversation – France in French (3)– By Valère Llobet, PhD student in Political Science, University of Grenoble Alpes (UGA)
https://blackironcompany.com/
Less visible than their Chinese counterparts, South Korean private military companies, also known as K-SMP or K-PMC in English, are currently experiencing significant growth, particularly in Asia. Although the development of SMPs serving Seoul began with the 2003 Iraq conflict, the country’s relationship to these modern mercenary organizations differs from that observed in Western Europe or North America.
The emergence of K-SMPs is first explained by the creation, in South Korea, of the first private actors operating in the field of security. Indeed, before any desire to outsource military activities, the country saw the appearance from the 1950s of a series of small companies dedicated to supporting the armed forces. Initially serving the American army to ensure deliveries of fresh products to the troops stationed in the country, these companies gradually turned to the protection of military installations and offered genuine security services. With the Vietnam War (1955-1975) and the return of South Korean troops who participated in the conflict, theprivate security sector in South Koreawill develop, growing from 800 people in 1971 to 150,000 in 2013, with about 4,500 registered companies.
The link between Seoul and Washington will profoundly influence the South Korean army. In particular, it is witnessing the progressive use of subcontractors by American troops duringtheir various joint commitments— notably inIraq in 2004when the South Korean divisionZaytunis deployed in Iraqi Kurdistan — but also on Korean territory, where some American PMSCs haveobtained contracts with the American forces stationed on site.
If we add to this the still persistent tensions between Seoul and Pyongyang and the numerous peacekeeping operations internationally in which South Korea has participated, we understand why the South Korean army is todayone of the most powerful armed forces in the worldbecause of its modernity and its experience.
Demography and regulation: the drivers of K-SMP development
In addition to these historical elements, two factors promote the development of K-SMP. The first is demography. South Korea is currently facingthe collapse of its birth rateand to ademographic decline since 2020.
The issue of maintaining the country’s military capabilities is all the more relevant because the Seoul army is partly dependent on male conscription. To address this, the country has alreadyuse of subcontracting, notably in the fields of logistics, securing military installations, cyber, or the maintenance and servicing of equipment.
Faced with this situation, the South Korean legislator reacted. Certainly, on one side, theGun control remains strict in the country, which de facto limits the room for maneuver of private military companies, but, on the other hand, the regulation around K-SMPs has gradually evolved, particularly concerning the missions of protecting ships against acts of piracy. Work on this matter has beeninitiated from 2014and today there is a genuine legal framework for private companies undertaking these missions, with a licensing system for businesses and acontrol of their personnel.
Employment and the retraining of former members of the armed forces, intelligence services, or police forces is also encouraged by the Korean regulatory framework, which imposes age limits for holding a command position (officer, police inspector, etc.), as well as a maximum duration of time in office. At the end of this period, the person is retired from their institution — which, of course, benefits the private sector, which can absorb experienced personnel seeking a second career after a long tenure in state services.
State of the K-SMP market (2003 to present)
There are traces of South Koreans working as “security advisors” in Africaduring the Cold War and the decolonization conflicts. However, the phenomenon of the development of K-SMPs as such seems to date back to the conflict in Iraq in 2003. Indeed, alongside South Korea’s military engagement alongside the United States, we can find traces from this conflict of a first Korean private military company, theNew Korea Total Serviceor NKTS.
Founded in 2003 in Seoul, NKTS began its operations in the Middle East in December of the same year by obtaining contracts in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, inIraqandin the United Arab Emirates. In total, the company is said to have employed around 100 Koreans — former members of special forces or police services — and 300 employees from the countries where it was established.
NKTS offered personal protection services, guarding, building security, as well astraining services intended for state forces, but also to people traveling to conflict zones such as Iraq. In addition, the company owned a training center and a subsidiary, theGlobal Industrial Group(GIG), which marketed security equipment, protective gear, as well as many scanners and metal detectors.
In the end, despite confidence displayed in the media and growth plans, the company did not survive.
Since then, new companies have emerged, including two major players. The first,Black Iron, was founded by Eric Ku, a former member of the South Korean Special Forces. Black Iron offersservicesfor ship protection, combat training but also protection of people and infrastructure, as well as what appears to be economic intelligence. It would also employ former police officers and military personnel, including former special forces members. The group claims to be active in Israel, Austria, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, as well as the United States and Indonesia, where the company would have branches in the latter two.
More recently, Black Iron has expanded its activities in Thailand. In addition to these training services, the company also acts as an intermediary for the sale of South Korean military equipment such as drones or simulators to enhance the training of the Thai armed forces. It should be noted that the company clearly positions itself as a PMC,even using the term mercenary in its communication
Regarding the second company, it is aboutBullet-Kan SMP installed in Seoul. The latter has been active since the early 2000s and works in the fields of ship protection, people, infrastructure, as well as in the fields of intelligence and economic intelligence — private detective missions,due diligence, etc.
Let’s add to that the field of training, in which the company claims to have offered its services inAfghanistan, in Iraq or even in Nigeria. In total, the group is said to have worked in 17 countries, including Libya. Let us specify that this company, likeBlack Iron, claims the term SMP and, like its competitor, itwould have personnel from South Korean intelligence services and special forces.
Today, markets open to private security and defense actors in South Korea appear to be multiplying. Although their level of development is far below that of their Chinese neighbor, South Korea is one of the few countries in the region developing companies operating beyond its borders, unlikeTaiwanor even from Japan, the latter not seeming to possess any SMP.
Moreover, the expansion of Seoul’s arms sales abroad, for example oftanks and howitzers to Poland since 2022, could also offer new opportunities in the future for K-SMPs, as the latter can provide their expertise to train the armies acquiring South Korean equipment.
Valère Llobet does not work for, advise, hold shares in, or receive funds from any organization that could benefit from this article, and has declared no affiliations other than his research institution.
–ref. The K-SMPs: the discreet South Korean private military companies –https://theconversation.com/les-k-smp-les-discreet-south-korean-private-military-companies-281674