ROK military confronts demographic crisis
Damin Jung
Faced with unprecedented missile launches and nuclear threats by North Korea, the Republic of Korea (ROK) is struggling to fill its ranks with conscript Soldiers while contending with the world’s lowest fertility rate.
ROK troops dropped from 618,000 in 2017 to 500,000 in 2022. Many units have disbanded, while the military strives to maintain combat readiness and develop elite forces equipped with advanced weapons systems to ensure a resilient defense posture.
The accelerating demographic decline makes the challenge harder. The average number of babies delivered per South Korean woman fell to 0.78 in 2022, Reuters reported, citing South Korean government statistics. To maintain the current armed forces with a mandatory service tenure of about 18 months, the military needs some 222,000 new conscripts every year. But the 20-year-old male population subject to conscription is expected to decrease from 334,000 in 2020 to 236,000 in 2025 and plunge to 130,000 in 2040, ROK data shows.
To increase the available pool for officers and noncommissioned officers, the ROK Ministry of National Defense has raised the age ceiling for entering military service from 27 to 29 years old, and will encourage more women to enter the military.
As a result of the ministry’s 2018-2022 plan to recruit female service members, the percentage of female officers and noncommissioned officers increased from 6.2% of the armed forces in 2018 to 9% in 2022, according to the 2022 Defense White Paper.
Women also have ascended into important military roles, with female service members taking leadership posts for the first time in 2021, such as commander of a Marine infantry battalion, commander of the special Air Force rescue team squadron and leader of the Army Demilitarized Zone operations team. A woman officer for the first time took command of the coastal surveillance maneuver battalion in 2022.
Lee Sang-mok, an emeritus professor at Korea National Defense University, says the military should emphasize training capable professionals who can make the most of advanced weapons systems and cutting-edge technologies.
“The South Korean military is urged to create a more capital-intensive and weapon system-intensive military structure while fostering elite forces by conducting more training under real battle-like environments,” Lee said.
Military leaders have begun integrating advanced technologies throughout the armed forces. The ROK military is expanding its scientific training system to overcome previous educational and instructional limitations. For example, the Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System uses virtual training to teach tactics and skills.
The ministry also is working to cultivate military professors, researchers and policy experts by supporting degree programs in higher education to train capable professionals who can utilize advanced weapons systems.
IMAGE CREDIT: REUTERS
