In 1968, the Republic of Korea was totally dependent on firearm and ammunition imports from the United States. South Korean firms only produced uniforms and related goods, not rifles, mortars, grenades or ammunition. The South Korean army still used vintage American M-1 rifles left over from World War II. Their total stock of ammunition was estimated to last just three days. So when the United States announced a plan to maybe withdraw all of its troops from the Korean peninsula by 1975, the South Koreans went on high alert. In just a few years, they needed to build a domestic defense and military arms industry. Starting from almost literally nothing. They did it. In this video, we look at how South Korea founded what is today one of the world's biggest military arms industries.