Last year, 9,481 officers and non-commissioned officers (NCOs) with over five years of service left the military, a 24% increase from the previous year and the highest number ever recorded in South Korea.
Among them, 4,061 captains and sergeants who had served for 5 to 10 years accounted for 43% of the total, a 35% increase from the year before.
This indicates a worsening trend of junior officers and NCOs, who are essential to the military, leaving their posts. These personnel are leaving because they feel a sense of relative deprivation due to the increase in soldiers’ salaries and the shortened service periods.
Additionally, their duty allowances are less than half of what police officers and firefighters receive. They claim, “Driving taxis or doing deliveries is better than serving in the military.”
As a result, recruiting officers and NCOs is becoming increasingly difficult. The ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps), responsible for 70% of junior officers, sees a declining support rate every year, with many universities failing to fill even half of their quotas.
Several ROTC units have already closed in the nation. This decline in popularity extends not only to the ROTC but also to military academies, university military science departments, and army, navy, and air force NCOs. The number of young people willing to become officers or NCOs is dwindling, and current personnel are eagerly looking for opportunities to leave the service.
The root cause of this situation lies in the populist policies of political parties regarding military service. Regardless of the political party, there has been competition during elections to shorten the service period, resulting in general soldiers now serving only 18 months. They are discharged before they even learn basic tactics.
The ROTC officers’ service period has also decreased to 28 months. Starting next year, due to a presidential campaign promise of a “2,000,000 won ($1,467.14) monthly salary for soldiers,” the salaries of officers and soldiers will be the same.
In fact, real income has already reversed because, unlike soldiers whose food, clothing, and shelter are guaranteed by the state, officers have to cover their food and housing costs from their salaries. It’s no wonder that few people want to become officers under these conditions.
The patriotism and qualities of junior officers are crucial to military strength, as history has shown in every war. If their morale is low, the troops will be disorganized, no matter how many soldiers there are. Even a stealth aircraft or an Aegis ship that worth million to billion dollars would be useless.
Currently, junior officers, who are the core of our military, regret their career choice and cynically believe that leaving the military is a matter of intelligence. This is an unacceptable situation for a country facing the threat of North Korean nuclear attacks.
Yesterday, in his Memorial Day speech, President Yoon Suk-yeol stated, “We will never overlook North Korea’s threats,” and pledged to “build a stronger South Korea.” Without special measures to prevent the exodus of junior officers, these words will ring hollow. It is hoped that both political parties can agree on a fundamental principle to keep defense policy free from political populism.
