Reduction of Military Personnel in South Korea Due to Low Birth Rate

• The military personnel in South Korea has been reduced to 450,000 people.
• The low birth rate creates serious problems for recruitment.
• The government is taking decisive actions to support the number of military personnel.

The military personnel in South Korea has decreased by 20% over the last six years, reaching approximately 450,000 soldiers, according to a report from the Ministry of Defense published last week.

The main reason for the reduction is the catastrophic low birth rate, which stands at 0.75 children per woman — the lowest in the world.

In South Korea, there remains a mandatory military service, as the country technically remains in a state of war with North Korea, which has a nuclear arsenal.

Research conducted by South Korean scholars in July indicates the need for at least 500,000 soldiers to defend against a potential attack from the North, where the active army consists of nearly 1.3 million soldiers.

According to the report, the number of divisions in the South Korean army has decreased from 59 to 42 since 2006, resulting in a "structurally complex situation for successful recruitment." It is also noted that the country requires "decisive actions at the national level" to maintain military personnel at least at the level of 500,000.

The defense budget for 2025 exceeds 60 trillion won (approximately 43 billion dollars), which surpasses the gross domestic product of South Korea. In South Korea, all conscripts are required to undergo 18 months of military service, although there are rare exceptions.

Discussions regarding the mandatory military service are linked to gender equality issues, as some conservatives believe that women should also be subject to conscription in the context of the demographic crisis.

The country has repeatedly set new records for the lowest birth rates: 0.98 children per woman in 2018, 0.84 in 2020, 0.72 in 2023, and 0.75 in 2024. Should this trend continue, experts predict that the population of South Korea could decrease by half over the next 60 years.

Tags: Politics