Soldiers Abandoned: Inside Look at the Harsh Reality Facing Military Leaders

In South Korea’s military structure, soldiers mean those holding ranks above lieutenant and below commander.

They essentially command soldiers and oversee operations, intelligence, transportation, and other military specializations. While they are required to have high levels of education, character, and responsibility, they have traditionally been highly respected and admired in Korean society.

However, the popularity of becoming a soldier has reportedly plummeted.

A recent post on an online community titled “Why Soldiers Were Popular in the Past” has stirred up a debate.

The author explained, “If you graduated from the Military Academy, you were practically guaranteed the rank of lieutenant colonel or colonel. Even if you left as a captain due to slow promotions, they would make you a civil servant. If you left as a captain without graduating from the academy, they would make you a teacher. If you were discharged early, corporations would hire you.”

The author continued, “Now, none of this applies. The military culture is falling behind other public sectors, there are fewer promotion opportunities due to troop reductions, and the Military Manpower Administration is failing to filter out those unfit for military service due to low birth rates.”

In fact, from 1977 to 1988, the regime operated a system that hired military academy graduates as fifth-rank civil servants.

According to Article 46, Paragraph 2 of the Military Personnel Act, those who serve in the military and are discharged can receive job support training according to the Presidential Decree. This system provides job placement and training to ensure that career military personnel, including officers and non-commissioned officers who have served for five years or more, can adapt to civilian life.

During the military regime, this system was used to transition army and marine reserve officers into drillmaster positions in the school.

Moreover, corporations actively recruited officer graduates until the 2010s, favoring their responsibility and integrity. Companies such as Korean Air, Shinsegae Group, LG Display, and E-Land Group specifically recruited officers.

In 2011, twelve current and former female officers were specially employed by Lotte Group, causing quite a stir. It was the first time a corporation employed a group of female officers.

However, as the years go by, fewer young people choose to become soldiers.

The significant decrease in the application rate for the Army ROTC over the past five years is representative.

According to military authorities, as of the 28th of last month, the number of Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps ROTC officers due to be commissioned was around 2,700, the lowest since 1976 when 2,504 lieutenants were commissioned.

As the online post author pointed out, the main cause for this decrease is the decline in military resources due to low birth rates. According to the Army, the number of troops decreased from 548,000 in 2006 to 506,000 in 2012 and 464,000 in 2018. This year, it is maintaining 365,000 troops.

This year’s steep salary increase also contributed to the decline in enlistment.

The salary for a sergeant will gradually increase to $1,300 by 2025. A private earns $700, a corporal earns $870, and a corporal earns $520.

In addition, the asset-building program for soldiers, the Soldier’s Tomorrow Savings Plan, will increase to $350 this year and $480 next year. Considering these salaries, the benefits of serving as a soldier are disappearing.

A netizen named B, who served as a university officer from 2017 to 2020, said, “The service period for a university officer is 40 months, while for a soldier, it’s 18 months. If given the choice again, I would serve as a soldier, be discharged early, and earn more money by doing other work.”

He added, “There was no job support or education for early-discharged short-term officers. The days of being hired by corporations are over. Therefore, it’s more advantageous to be enlisted during a semester, discharged, and then graduate from university.”