A newly-developed military water bottle (L). (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Sept. 5 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean military plans to gradually replace water bottles with new models earlier than scheduled, source said Sunday.
The defense ministry plans to earmark a budget of roughly 3 billion won (US$2.20 million) next year to distribute 102,000 new water bottles.
The budget represents a growth of 67 percent compared to this year’s budget, source said.
The ministry plans to complete the distribution of new water bottles by 2026, four years earlier than previously planned.
According to its 2020 survey, the nation’s active duty soldiers showed the lowest satisfaction with water bottles among military supplies, citing them as being too outdated and unsanitary.
The military launched the distribution of new water bottles featuring improvements in weight and functionality from last year.
“In general, military water bottles are used for about 10 years and it was originally planned to complete the replacement during the period from 2021 to 2030,” a military official said.
“However, we decided to ensure earlier distribution by 2026 by increasing the budget for the improvement of combat supplies and equipment.”
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
