Military Service in South Korea

If you have male Korean friends, you may already know that in South Korea, military service is mandatory for them. Perhaps some of your favorite male idols have also completed their mandatory military service. They often say they don't like to talk about it, but you will still hear them talk about it a lot because it is an integral part of every young Korean man's life.

Although military service is not mandatory for women, South Korea allows them to enlist. But what exactly does South Korean military service involve? Let's take a look now!

Age of Enlistment

As soon as a Korean man reaches 18 years old (Korean age), his mandatory military service comes into effect. However, he is not required to start his service immediately. It is possible to delay the start date until the age of 28.

Except for idols and famous actors, who usually wait because it could harm their careers, most Korean men perform their military service in their early twenties. Generally, they first graduate from high school and spend one or two years at university before starting their military service. In rare cases, they wait until they graduate from university before beginning their military service.

Does Everyone Serve Active Duty?

All physically healthy men are expected to serve in active duty. However, it is possible to fulfill military service outside of active duty, for example by performing police functions.

Similarly, people who are not in good health are allowed to perform their military service outside of active duty. This can include social work or other government services.

Finally, people with debilitating illnesses, such as diabetes or other conditions, may be completely exempt from military service. Similar exemptions can also be granted to those with exceptional skills.

For example, some violinists, pianists, and ballet artists can be exempted from service. Likewise, athletes who have won medals at the Olympic Games, or more precisely a gold medal at the Asian Games, are exempt from active duty.

These individuals will instead undergo 4 weeks of basic military training, then they can continue their careers provided they do so for 42 months. After this period, they will undergo a few days of military training each year for the following six years, but that is the extent of their service.

Son Heung Min, who plays for the Tottenham Spurs, received an active duty exemption in 2018 after South Korea won gold in football at the Asian Games.

Objection to military service, for any reason, is not allowed and results in imprisonment. Dual nationality citizens must also choose one citizenship before their 18th birthday and will not have to perform their military service if they revoke their Korean citizenship.

However, from that point on, they will be considered full foreigners by the Korean government. That is why many Koreans living abroad choose to keep their nationality and return to Korea at some point in their twenties to perform their military service.

What is the Duration of Military Service?

The duration of military service depends on several factors. The branch of the military one is in, active or non-active service, all play a role. The service duration is 21 months for the army, 23 months for the navy, and 24 months for the air force.

As for non-active service, it is 24 months for those working in social work or international cooperation, 34 months for industrial technical personnel, and 36 months for those completing their service as doctors, lawyers, veterinarians, or expert researchers.

The duration of military service in South Korea is long; it is actually among the top four longest in the world. It is only surpassed by North Korea (where service is mandatory for men and women, with the longest service duration in the world), Israel (where it is mandatory for women for 24 months and for men for 32 months), and Singapore (mandatory for men for 24 months).

Although there have been discussions about possibly shortening the military service period, due to relations with North Korea, there is no immediate plan to do so.

Controversies Around Military Service

Over the years, and especially since the early 2000s, Korean military service has been the subject of some controversies. Generally, these controversies and scandals target Korean celebrities.

Although they are not completely exempt from active duty, there used to be a specific, easier military branch where they could perform their service. However, due to ongoing problems with celebrities even in this branch, as well as public outrage over preferential treatment of celebrities, this branch has since been dissolved.

However, this has only generated controversies over active duty exemptions for athletes. Some are outraged that athletes get exemptions but not actors and singers, while others support completely abandoning the idea of exemptions. This would mean that all celebrities and athletes would perform their active military service like all other Korean men.

The debate over mandatory military service will likely continue in the near future. Perhaps until there is some change in how it is implemented, or until relations between the two Koreas change.

What do you think about military service in Korea? Should celebrities and athletes receive preferential treatment compared to the general public? What are the military laws in effect in your country? Share your thoughts in the comments below!