At what age do Korean men serve in the military?

"Detailed Explanation of Korean Military Service"

In South Korea, active military service is required for Levels 1-5:

Level 5 has already suffered from serious diseases but can Those who live independently, short-term military theory training

Level 4 is a simple military training that can be tried for one year if the body is healthy

Level 3 is 22 months, the body has been injured but has recovered well. Can perform military tasks

Level 2 is for 26 months, which is basic active duty

Level 1 is for 3 years. It is for those who are in particularly good physical condition and are engaged in related industries, usually the Air Force and Navy

In South Korea, most people are concentrated in Level 2 and Level 3. It seems that Level 2 is the most common. The general allocation is by the military, but the background of the service members will be taken into consideration. For example, the brother of my Korean student is from the English Department of Seoul National University (now Seoul National University), so he was assigned to the U.S. military base in South Korea during the military service assignment, so that his strengths could be used. The same reason was why Hong Kyung-min was sent to the propaganda department, because he is a singer, but This is not absolute. It is possible for Shinhwa to enter artillery and armored forces (this is a big joke... I can only pray for eternal peace in Korea...). It mainly depends on the allocation by superiors.

In addition to those who are rich and can buy them with money, there are also people who do not need to perform military service (here refers to Korean citizens)

1) Level 6 active mental disorders and serious illnesses People with disabilities (Ha Ri-soo is in this category because South Korea considers transgender to be a mental disorder

2) People who have won medals in the Olympics and gold medals in the Asian Games, as well as South Korean national football players (know why South Korean football is so strong Come on, if you don’t join the national team, you will have to suffer in the military camp. Who wouldn’t play with your life? )

3) Doctors (their brains are protected, so there is no need for them to protect the family and the country) ), those with primary school education (because their education level is too low, they probably won’t be able to learn military theory if taught to them. Lee Sedol, a very good Go player in South Korea, is at this level. He came to play Go and specialized in Go after finishing elementary school. He also served in the military. No need to go)

4) Those who have reached military age but are responsible for the lives of three or more people. For example, someone graduated from high school and got married at the age of 18, and gave birth to two children before the age of 21. (or more children), if the wife does not have a job, then this person does not need to go to the military service, otherwise the children and wife will starve to death after more than two years. However, this has triggered a trend of early marriage in Korea, so there seems to be a trend to change.

5) People with a lot of tattoos (more than 1/3 of the body's skin), because many tattoos affect military appearance and discipline, so the Military Service Law has this article, but for those who did not have the first physical examination but got tattoos during the re-examination (Those who obviously got tattoos to avoid military service) will be imprisoned for one year on the charge of deliberately destroying the body to evade national responsibility. Last year, Seoul arrested more than 100 of them.

6) Men over the age of 28 do not need to go, but this situation is very rare. For example, you were 26 when you were about to serve, but you happened to have a car accident and became a vegetative state, lying in bed. I miraculously regained consciousness after 2 and a half years, and now that I am 28 and a half years old, there is no need to go.

I don’t know if I got the military service notice and went straight to the car, regardless of whether I have to plant it for two years before talking about it...)

Actually, there are some things I won’t talk about. Yes, there are several situations where you can defer your military service

1) While you are in school, that is, during college or postgraduate studies, studying abroad, etc., you can apply for up to two military service extensions. After two times, you cannot apply. If it is postponed again, this can explain that Korean men who come to China can extend their service time. As long as they extend their service beyond the age of 28, they no longer have to go.

2) Accidental injuries, like the vegetative example above, broken legs, etc.

Military service in South Korea is very difficult. When boys go to the military service, their families will It’s very sad. Generally, level 2 active duty people can only go home during the Mid-Autumn Festival and Spring Festival in the second year (only 3 days. If the road is far, you may only be home for 2 days). They usually don’t have holidays. The first year is especially hard. There are no holidays and you have to go home. They endured inhuman abuse from their superiors and seniors. The senior soldiers could do whatever they wanted to the new recruits. Some recruits couldn't bear it and would choose extreme methods (such as committing suicide, which caused a big topic in Korea). However, after surviving the first year, in the second year , you are now a senior, and you can control the new recruits, so your mentality will become better, and you will have a vacation, so it will be better. Koreans believe that only those who have served in the military are real men, and women will also like such men. However, Korean men are still unwilling to serve as soldiers from the bottom of their hearts because it is too painful. South Korea is an island country and belongs to the national defense system, so men have to serve as soldiers. This is also the case in some small European countries, and the same is true in Taiwan. However, the control is not as strict as the Korean Military Service Law. You might as well look at this law with the mentality of a small country. I can understand why South Korea is like this. Without full militaryization, there may be a danger of national subjugation

In addition, South Korea issues military service notices not based on age but on the date of household registration

The Korean Military Service System The Korean Constitution stipulates the four major obligations of paying taxes, receiving education, hard work and military service. If you are a "physically and mentally healthy male of the Republic of Korea", you have the obligation to perform military service and enlist as an officer or soldier in the Army, Navy, Air Force or Marine Corps, or as a so-called "public service officer". Military service itself is not just about fulfilling legal obligations. Most people choose to join the army voluntarily. Korean men who reach the age of 19 are required to undergo a military service physical examination (not a physical fitness test). They also divided the grades on the spot (similar to Japan's previous conscription inspections and divided them into three grades, A, B, and C), and notified the draftees. "Those who are physically and mentally healthy" will be divided into two categories: "active soldiers (recruited for standing military service)" and "public welfare service personnel". Those who are sick, or whose service will put their family's livelihood in difficulty and are unable to serve, will be classified as "military service exempters." In addition, draftees who are hospitalized during the physical examination will be reexamined a year later to determine which level they will be classified into. Types of military service: The service period of soldiers is 26 months in the Army, 28 months in the Navy, and 30 months in the Air Force. The service period of the navy and air force is longer because these branches have higher requirements for technology and proficiency. The Navy, Air Force, and Marines use test volunteers to select personnel. Most active-duty soldiers become soldiers of the Army. Volunteers can also join the army at the rank of corporal. Some enlist as soldiers and then move on to become corporals and officers. It is said that the military welcomes servicemen to volunteer for service as non-commissioned officers, officers, etc. Although there are systems designed to subsidize the tuition of college students and serve as military officers after graduation to ensure talent, this system is not very popular because the service period is 6 to 7 years. On the other hand, in the 1990s, a unique "permanent reserve" system was created. The South Korean Army has piloted a system to establish alternative combat forces to rationalize and streamline its organization. Currently, there are so-called "Homeland Defense Divisions" composed of key members of the reserve forces in various places (mainly to defend rear areas). Personnel are selected from among active soldiers. They have to serve for 26 months like active-duty soldiers, but they live outside the military camp. This is the biggest difference from active-duty soldiers. As of 1998, soldiers in the regular duty reserves lived in the barracks of the front-line troops for the first 12 months during their service and performed the same duties as ordinary soldiers. After that, they were transferred to the Homeland Defense Division and lived outside the barracks for the next 14 months. . By 1999, he lived outside the camp for 26 months. Many active-duty soldiers are envious of being able to live in their own homes, but the most important thing for those who are designated to serve in the regular reserves is good luck. Another unique feature of South Korea's military service system is the so-called "KATUSA (Korean Augmentation to the U.S. Army)", which refers to Korean soldiers sent to the U.S. Army in South Korea. They serve and live with the U.S. military, and their treatment is still the same as that of ordinary Korean soldiers.

The service environment and welfare are better than those of ordinary Korean soldiers, and they have more free time. Many people volunteer to serve as KATUSA. Currently, personnel are selected based on the results of the English proficiency test. There are also two unique systems: "voluntary police (referred to as vigilantes)" and "combat police (referred to as combat police)." Serving in this type of service is equivalent to performing general military service. Since police work also requires a lot of manpower, some active-duty soldiers will be transferred to police service. Voluntary police are responsible for traffic control and general patrolling. Combat police are responsible for maintaining law and order as armed police during wartime. Their peacetime tasks are to guard, regulate and suppress demonstrations. From the 1980s to the 1990s, this type of combat police mobile team appeared frequently on TV news. They are not under the Ministry of Defense, but are under the jurisdiction of the National Police Agency. After retirement, they become reserve army captains. In addition to the above various types of military service or quasi-military service, there are also people who need to become "public welfare service personnel." This system was created in the 1990s for people who have not become active duty soldiers. Those who have not entered the military service will work as public service personnel in various local self-governing groups and public organizations. Generally speaking, they will be sent to the offices of various cities, districts, and caves (equivalent to districts in our country's municipalities directly under the central government) to serve as administrative subsidy officers, forest supervisors, subway station personnel, military service personnel, etc. This is the lowest-level civil servant under the Ministry of Administration and Autonomy. The service period is longer than that of ordinary army soldiers, which is 28 months. In addition, some people are also sent to remote rural and fishing villages where medical resources are lacking to provide public health insurance, or to serve in the national defense industry or national policy support enterprises for a certain period of time. After being discharged from the army, those who have completed their service period are "transferred (retired)". Although transfer means being dismissed from the team, strictly speaking, service is the basis for summoning in case of emergency. People over the age of 18 who have not been drafted belong to "first-class civil service" and are further classified into "active service" or "supplementary service" based on the results of the physical examination. "Active service" refers to active duty soldiers and regular reserve soldiers, and "supplementary service" refers to those who serve as key public welfare workers. Those other than this belong to "secondary civil service" and are required to work as hard workers in times of emergency. Those who cannot do this are included in "exemption from service". After those who have served in active service or supplementary service expire, they will be transferred to "reserve service". This is called "transfer to service." The reservists form the "Homeland Defense Reserve Force", which is mobilized under the command of various homeland defense divisions in times of emergency. The reserve army is divided into "mobilization reserve army" and "rural defense (homeland defense) reserve army". The mobilization reserve force is a reserve force summoned by the front-line troops in case of emergency, while the rural defense reserve force is a regional defense force summoned by the place of residence. Soldiers in the reserve army must serve in the reserve army for eight years starting from the year after they are transferred to active duty. Non-commissioned officers and officers have reserve service periods ranging from 40 to 56 years old according to their rank. The training of the reserve army is carried out within 7 consecutive years after transfer, regardless of class. The class of the reserve army is the same as the class when transferred to active duty. After the corps commander transfers to active duty, he becomes a "reserve corps commander" and this is his own class during wartime. They are still obliged to undergo a certain number of days of reserve training every year after transferring to active duty. From the 1st to the 4th year, 4 to 5 days of training are required each year, and from the 5th to the 7th year, it is 3 days. College students, graduate students and teachers are exempted from the requirement by one day per year, while those serving as police officers and firefighters are not required to undergo reserve military training. In this way, after the reserve period expires, he will become a "civilian defense member". Anyone who has visited South Korea must have suddenly heard the whine of an air raid siren during the day. Cars on the road stopped and people took shelter in the nearest building. This is a "civil defense training" that used to be held every month, but in recent years it has only been held four times a year. The road to joining the military "Active soldiers" and "Public Welfare Service Personnel" will be issued an "Enlistment Order (Enlistment Order)" by the Military Affairs Office in the year they reach 20 years old. However, many people in this age group are freshmen and sophomores, or "re-study students" (including preparatory students and re-examination students). There are also people who have just graduated and have only been out in society for one or two years. The military will be more lenient in issuing enlistment orders to these people, such as extending them. There are other examples of extensions to the issuance of enlistment orders, but indefinite extensions are not possible. Being able to delay enlistment due to reasons such as entrance to school or exams reflects the importance Korean society attaches to education.

Those who are under 20 years old but over 19 years old can also voluntarily apply to join the army. Although they enlist in the army early in order to retire early, since the economic crisis in 1997, a large number of young people, including many college students, who cannot find jobs and have difficulties in life, have Volunteer to enlist in the army in advance. Currently, the military has suspended accepting applications for early enlistment. In addition to military service, you can also choose to serve as a professional soldier such as a non-commissioned officer or an officer. If you are a non-commissioned officer, your service period is as long as 4 to 5 years, and there are often not enough people to volunteer. The actual number of non-commissioned officers is less than 80 of the required number. Therefore, the military welcomes people who volunteer to serve as noncommissioned officers. Volunteer non-commissioned officers, like soldiers, receive military education after basic education, and those who pass the training will be appointed as officers. Military police, special forces, Navy SEALs/Underwater Demolition Teams (special warfare forces), Air Force special technical NCOs, etc., there are also pipelines to recruit volunteers. The elite course for professional soldiers is to enter the army, navy and air force officer schools. Volunteers must pass the "Academic Ability Test" (Korea's university entrance examination) and the examinations of various government schools. After graduating from the military academy in four years, they serve as officers and become the core talents of the South Korean military. In addition, in the Air Force, all fighter pilots are graduates of the Air Force Academy. Currently, all government schools accept girls. There are other ways to become an officer through the "ROTC" (Resevation Officer Training Corp, equivalent to the Reserve Officer Training Corps in the United States) and the so-called "cadet sergeant" system. Since officers were treated better than soldiers, there was no shortage of volunteers. ROTC refers to the general 4-year college students who receive military education in addition to professional subjects during the last 2 years of their studies. After graduation, they will serve as second lieutenants. After 30 months, they will transfer to the army with the rank of lieutenant. You can also volunteer to stay in the camp and be promoted to captain at the same time. . Cadet sergeants refer to those who have attended a 2-year junior college or the first 2 years of a 4-year college and entered the "Military Military Academy" (not the respective military academies of the army, navy and air force) to receive officer development education. After graduation, they will be awarded the title of second lieutenant. Appoint an official. In addition, active-duty soldiers with a two-year college education or above can also serve as officers on their own initiative (they also have to go to the Military Academy to receive officer development education). No matter what, the elite route for professional soldiers is still those who came from the military academy.