South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Sunday pledged to undertake powerful defence reforms to build a smart and independent military that can protect the country from any invasion, instead of relying on the sheer number of troops. Drawing a comparison with North Korea's defence capabilities, Lee noted that South Korea has a 2.6 million reserve force that stands ready to enter combat anytime, while stressing the country ranks fifth globally in terms of defence capabilities. Lee called for further increasing defence spending and building a smart military, while nurturing the country's arms industry and strengthening security diplomacy to build a country that will never be invaded. Lee, meanwhile, dismissed what he called a "submissive" attitude that such defence capabilities are not feasible without foreign forces. “I pledged to respect the North Korean system, not to pursue unification by absorption and have no intention of carrying out hostile acts, and the pledge remains valid,” he noted.