Tag: ROK military

It seems pretty extreme to conduct some of these self injuries to avoid military service. The mandatory service is not that bad to cripple yourself for the rest of your life to avoid:

A football player damaged his own wrist with heavy dumbbells. Another man even lost his hearing after subjecting his ears to loud horn sounds. Some others faked mental health conditions.

They all did so for the same purpose: dodging their compulsory military service. For many, the almost two years of service is a thankless task given to all able-bodied men born in South Korea, which is technically still at war with North Korea after the 1950-53 Korean War ended with only an armistice.

According to Military Manpower Administration data disclosed Tuesday by Rep. Song Gab-seok of the opposition Democratic Party of Korea, 321 people have been caught making such attempts to evade conscription over the past five years.

Experts believe the real number of such draft-dodging cases, including those who did not get caught, is far greater. According to data released earlier this week by the Korean Institute of Criminology and Justice, a state-run research center, 335 young men were reported missing in 2021 just before they were to join the military. Nearly 1,800 such cases have occurred in the past four years.

The revelations come amid a widening investigation into the people suspected of offering money to a “consultant” surnamed Koo, who gave them tips on how to avoid military duty.

The broker has been indicted on charges of offering such information to seven people, who allegedly paid him and his accomplice, surnamed Kim, at least millions of won (thousands of dollars) per case. The first hearing on their charges will begin on Friday, with investigators expanding the probe into 100 people now.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

It is surprising that this doesn’t happen more around the THAAD base. The fact someone lost probably around a thousand dollars by losing their drone might deter others from trying this:

Military and police personnel resumed a search Wednesday for a presumed civilian drone thought to have crashed after flying near a U.S. THAAD missile defense unit in a southern county the previous day, officials said.

The authorities are conducting the search in areas close to the base in Seongju, 217 kilometers south of Seoul, while police are investigating who sent the drone and for what purpose.

The Army said chances appear low that the drone was mobilized for espionage. 

U.S. Forces Korea personnel are known to have first detected the drone flying toward the base at 12:54 p.m. Tuesday and used a jamming gun to bring it down, according to defense sources.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It is good to see that the authorities are going after and arresting these brokers who are trying to get athletes out of completing their mandatory service:

South Korean men seek new options to avoid their two-year mandatory military service, and the number of draft dodgers continues to grow.

According to data provided by Rep. Song Gab-seok of the Democratic Party received from the Military Manpower Administration, 578 people were turned over to prosecution for intentional draft dodging from 2012 until Nov. 30 last year.

Recently, volleyball player Jo Jae-sung was charged with contacting a local military broker to help him show false symptoms of epilepsy during a military reexamination. He was then deemed unfit to serve as a soldier due to this fake health issue, allowing him to serve as a social service agent as an alternative form of service.

The broker he had come in contact with was arrested last month for violating the Military Service Act.

Professional athletes in the fields of soccer, horse riding and bowling are also under investigation for attempting draft evasion with the broker. The names of the others have not been revealed.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link, but if BTS can do their military service than these athletes can as well.

The Israeli system would further improve the ROK’s detection capabilities against drone attacks, but does not solve their inability to shoot them down:

 South Korea’s military is considering the purchase of an Israeli “electric eye” as part of efforts to bolster its capabilities to detect small North Korean drones, a defense source in Seoul said Sunday.

The move comes as the South’s defense authorities have come under fierce criticism for the failure to counter the penetration of five North Korean drones into its airspace late last month. It was belatedly revealed that one of them even intruded into the no-fly zone, called P-73, near the presidential office in the central district of Yongsan.

In order to beef up its airspace defense system, the military is considering pushing for the speedy acquisition of the Sky Spotter system, according to the source.

Built by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, it is designed for the early detection and tracking of such aerial objects, including drones, as well as balloons and kites, that are used for terrorist attacks.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Considering that small low cost drones is the future of warfare it is amazing that South Korea didn’t invest in this technology years ago when North Korea first began flying drones into their airspace:

South Korea’s state arms agency said Thursday it will push to speed up the development of a jamming system against small drones after the military’s recent failure to shoot down North Korean drones.

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said it will look to develop the counter-drone system over a 39-month period starting next year, compared to a 48-month window such a development usually requires.

DAPA also said it has opened bidding for a portable anti-drone jammer, which it plans to purchase and deploy next year.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

There was a huge troop reduction during the President Moon years that the current President Yoon is not going to cut further:

The South Korean military will maintain its current troop levels despite ongoing threats from North Korea’s military, according to a Ministry of National Defense prospectus released Wednesday.

South Korea will maintain its active-duty force of 500,000 service members until 2027, the five-year outlook states. The nation’s military numbered 618,000 active-duty troops in 2018, but was steadily downsized to 500,000 this year due to “a rapid decrease in young population,” according to the blueprint.

The plan adds 1,000 commissioned officers to the ranks while cutting 1,000 enlisted positions by 2027. Roughly 201,000 officers and 299,000 enlisted service members currently serve in South Korea’s military.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

President Yoon appears to be highly upset that the ROK military has not developed the technology to counter North Korean drones:

President Yoon Suk Yeol berated Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup over the military’s failed operation against five North Korean drones that entered South Korean airspace earlier this week, officials said Wednesday.

Yoon met with Lee on Tuesday morning and was briefed on the military’s response to the North’s violation of South Korean airspace the previous day.

The drones flew across the Military Demarcation Line separating the two Koreas, with one flying over northern parts of Seoul, but the South Korean military failed to shoot them down.

“How can there be none preparing against North Korean drone attacks? There were many similar incidents in the past, so what have you been doing until now?” Yoon said during the meeting, according to one official who relayed the exchange.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

What the ROK should invest in to compliment the Japanese military buildup is to invest their Army capabilities, short-range missile defense, and counter artillery/rocket systems to off set North Korea. Let the Japanese build expensive aircraft carriers, long range missile defense, and aircraft to counter China, but what we will likely see is Korea continue to build expensive ships and aircraft to keep up with the Jones in the region:

The Japanese government’s approval of a massive rearmament program to counter China and North Korea’s threats poses a new task for South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol to look into ways to take advantage of Tokyo’s military buildup to serve Seoul’s security interests, according to experts.

“The recent updates of Japan’s national security strategy now demand South Korea to explore how it will use Japan’s military buildup to contribute to the South Korea-U.S.-Japan trilateral security cooperation to counter North Korea’s nuclear ambitions,” said Jin Chang-soo, the director of Sejong Institute’s Center for Japanese Studies. 

“As we use lines of credit for contingencies, national security also requires protection tools for contingencies. … Since South Korea needs the trilateral security cooperation to counter the North’s threat, there will not likely be a major change in the Yoon government’s dovish Japan policy. Rather, the focus should be on how Seoul can take advantage of Japan’s defense cost hike as an opportunity to improve its national security and how it can monitor Japan’s military expansion transparently.” 

The advice came after Japan, Friday, unveiled three updated documents on its national security strategies and proclaimed a military buildup, which is seen as the biggest one since World War II and a major breakaway from its defense-only principle. 

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

The Stars & Stripes has a good Q&A on South Korea’s mandatory military service:

Q: Who has to serve in South Korea’s military?

A: All able-bodied South Korean men are required to enlist in the military by age 28. K-pop stars aren’t exempt from service, but they have been granted the ability to defer their enrollment until age 30 for contributions to “enhancing Korea’s international image.” At 30 years old, Jin, whose full name is Kim Seok-jin, is the oldest member of BTS and was running out of time to defer, as officials mulled whether to exempt K-pop stars from service. Just weeks before a December enlistment deadline, Jin rescinded his deferral, setting forth his path to military service.

Men with physical limitations or health concerns are allowed to perform alternative service, such as holding administrative roles in the community. Men with religious concerns — most notably Jehovah’s Witnesses — were previously jailed for refusing compulsory military service. In recent years, however, conscientious objectors have been allowed to take community service roles.

Artists and classical musicians who have won awards for their work are allowed to perform alternative service — which requires teaching and performing — as long as the award is officially recognized by the Defense Ministry. (BTS has not won such an award.) Professional athletes who won international honors are also allowed to do alternative service corresponding with their expertise. Korean adoptees who choose to reinstate their nationality — many of whom don’t speak their native language — are granted an exemption from compulsory service.

Q: How long does South Korea’s military service last?

A: Those who are required to serve in the military must do so for at least 18 months, although the length of service can vary by branch. Conscripts serve for 18 months in the army and the marines, 20 months in the navy, and 21 months in the air force. The first few weeks of service are usually spent at a basic training camp before soldiers are moved to the roles in which they will finish the rest of their enlistment.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.