SEOUL: South Korea is considering reducing and eventually abolishing the supplementary military service system, as the country faces a shrinking pool of people available for active military service.
Hong So-young, commissioner of the Military Manpower Administration, said the government was in the final stages of reviewing how to scale back supplementary service under a new Defence Reform Basic Plan, in an interview with Yonhap News Agency in Seoul on Thursday (Aug 6).
Supplementary service refers to the system where some conscripts can fulfill their military obligations through non-active-duty service, including social service, public health roles and arts and sports.
In terms of the arts and sports programme, athletes can qualify for this service by winning an Olympic medal or an Asian Games gold medal, while artists must achieve top results at designated competitions.
Instead of serving as regular soldiers, they complete three-weeks of basic training and continue working in their respective fields for 34 months while providing 544 hours of public service using their professional skills.
"A fundamental overhaul of this supplementary service is not a choice but an indispensable task for the survival of our national security," Hong said.
"The Defence Reform Basic Plan will set out how the supplementary service system should be gradually reduced and abolished," she added.
In particular, Hong said the administration was considering retaining the minimum number of personnel needed in essential public-sector fields, which includes public health doctors, while substantially reducing programmes in private-sector areas, or sports and arts.
For arts personnel, Hong said the Military Manpower Administration and the Culture Ministry have agreed on narrowing the scope of qualifying competitions, focusing on more prestigious events and gradually revising eligibility requirements.
Asked on whether the arts and sports personnel system could ultimately be abolished, Hong said such a move would require broad public consensus, as well as measures to ensure that artists and athletes can maintain their professional skills and careers. - The Korea Herald/ANN
