Increasing Number of Korean Critical of Mandatory Service Requirement
Unsurprisingly more and more Koreans do not believe in the mandatory service required of all males to defend the country:
More parents hope their sons can skip compulsory military service, which they consider a waste of precious years in their young lives.
According to a recent survey, seven out of 10 respondent or 70.2 percent, said they would encourage young men to “tough it out,” but the percentage was much smaller among people under 50.
Some 40.2 percent whose sons are nearing conscription age said they would prefer them to be exempt if possible. The proportion was slightly bigger among mothers than fathers with 42.5 percent as against 37.9 percent.
In a similar survey by a high school in Busan in August, 38.1 percent of respondents said they want to avoid conscription if possible. Only 34.5 percent agreed that military service is inevitable at a time when the nation remains divided, and even fewer or 27.4 percent agreed that it is “natural and honorable” to serve in the military.
That suggests some 70 percent do not see the point.
Asked why they do not look forward to their military service, 39.5 percent cited the hard life in barracks, 32.3 percent violence and bullying, and 28.2 percent said it would be a waste of time. [Chosun Ilbo]
There has been baby steps in the past to professionalize the ROK Army, but the fact that the ROK government is able to maintain such a large force for little money is going to be hard to change because a professional army is expensive. Just ask the Pentagon.
South Korea don’t need a huge military. Just drastically reduce the manpower and use voluntary paid forces. North Korea’s military is in shambles. Most of them are starving, so they’re more busy selling off their weapons and supplies in the market, while desertion rates are astronomical as discipline has collapsed. The famine in the 1990’s wiped out millions of people and even those boys who survived the starvation are so frail, small, and sick, that the North Korean military has a hard time finding young healthy men of that generation for their military. They had to expand the military service minimum from 10 years to 11 years. And the women also are now drafted, they have to serve for at least 7 years. They’re scraping the barrels but can’t find enough manpower, as there’s not enough men in the country. Bands of NK soldiers are going around the country like pack of wolves, praying on civilians. The military lacks parts and fuels to keep their vehicles moving for supplies. But since they are short of everything, they have no ability to supply their troops.
North Korea is a complete mess. They have no ability to wage a conventional war, certainly can’t start one. The only threat they got is the nuclear weapons and the artilary along the DMZ.
South Korea should just save on the cost, reduce the military spending, professionalize the military, then use the money to develop nuclear deterrent. Conventional weapons are now worthless deterrence considering that North Korea’s conventional forces are unusable and they now strictly on nuclear weapons.
When you have thousands upon thousands of tripwire foreigners that most ungrateful Koreans hate sent to die for them, why should they serve their country which is still at war?
Let’s not forget other countries besides the US have erroneously sworn to save Korea YET AGAIN in the event of war.
Foreigners shouldn’t have to die for Korea, right Tom?
S. Korea should just dragoon any and all gyopos in, and those seeking to come to Korea-no exceptions. Korean females, including gyopo females should be included too!
I’m sure if S. Korea goes to war, gyopos will swell the ranks of the ROK military and the manpower issue will not be an issue. Wait! S. Korea is still at war? Hmmm…..
The spilling of impure mongrel blood on Korean soil will spoil the land! Korea for pure blood Koreans! It should be only up to Koreans to die for Korea, shouldn’t it Tom? Tom?
“thousands upon thousands of tripwire foreigners” that you speak of can all go die for all I care.
If they get their North Korean rockets up their a$$, it’s not my fault.
Good ol’ Tom ~ always explaining things in terms with which he’s intimately familiar: having rockets in his ass.