South Korea will invest 2.6 trillion won ($2.3 billion) in the next five years to improve the safety management system in the defense sector, the defense ministry said Monday.

Under the plan, the government will cultivate more safety specialists and push to establish a big data-based information system to better manage safety issues by 2025, according to the ministry.

The plan also includes replacing old military vehicles with new ones, establishing safety tools for facilities and securing more hospital beds to better respond to the spread of infectious diseases.

The ministry said it will have more negative pressure ambulances and rooms for infectious patients, and set up an epidemic research center under the Armed Forces Medical Command by 2023.

To support the civilian authorities in disaster situations, the military will secure more equipment, such as aircraft fire extinguishing agents, to bolster its capabilities to carry out rescue and search operations, it said.

"Following the improvement in the weapons system and defense personnel, the importance of safety management in the defense sector is growing," Vice Defense Minister Park Jae-min said, calling for an actual leap to be made in the field by the end of the year. (Yonhap)