The Duty that Every Korean Male Has to Serve

Conscription is arguably one of the biggest impending concerns for male Korean students. Even students who study abroad have to eventually return to their home country for their compulsory military service. Thus, Koreans who decide to serve during their university years have to balance their academic work with military service completion.

Unlike the US’s voluntary military service, South Korea obligates all Korean males to serve in the military sometime between ages 18 and 28. As of 2020, the service duration is 18 months, but this time slightly varies among the different military branches. Any cunning attempts to evade the conscription is considered a punishable crime, and the suspect would be incarcerated in jail.

The primary reason for conscription in South Korea is their abiding tension with North Korea. The Korean War occurred between 1950 to 1953; the civil war instigated by North Korea’s invasion and ended in an unofficial armistice. Not only did the treaty create the 38th parallel, but it also implemented the Military Service Act of 1949 in 1957, which required all men above ages 19 to serve in the army for three years. The South Korean military program prepares the nation against North Korea’s hostility and the threat of future invasions.

Jae-Hyeok Choi, a Korean sophomore at AISG, sees the positive side of conscription. He describes his military duty as “intrinsic,” further commenting that conscription is “an honorable and rewarding maneuver, as [he is] given the opportunity to protect my country.”

Korean male’s involvement in the military does not end after 18 months of mandatory service. They are still required to annually summon and get trained under the nation’s Reserve Forces for eight years after the dismissal from their compulsory service. Moreover, Korean males are still required to receive separate military training or education until the age of 40.

Korean women are not required, but they have the option to be enlisted.

Once the conscripts enter the army, they are put into a rigorous five-week training course. During this period, the trainees are brainwashed to possess the mindset of a soldier. One of the most intense training requires soldiers to endure the excruciating pain of chemical gas inside a locked room. The soldiers are prohibited from leaving the room and cannot wear their gas masks until the session is over.

Myunghan-Son, another Korean sophomore at AISG,  comments that the gas chamber session is “arguably one of the toughest military trainings in the world,” and that “it will prove myself as a worthy man.”

There are conditions to which some Koreans may be discharged from conscription. Those with possession of disease or mental or physical disabilities are exempted from military service. Also, sports athletes who win a medal in the Olympics or a gold medal in the Asian Games are exempted from their military service.

Artists, pianists, ballet, and actors, or directors are also granted an exemption. For example, in the December of 2020, an amendment was made to the law that allowed renowned artists to delay their military service until the age of 30. This was thanks to Kim Seok-Jin, a member of the world-famous K-pop group, BTS, who was about to turn 28 in the preceding year of December.