According to a Report by a Defense Ministry report on Sunday, South Korea’s army has shrunk to about 450,000 people in the last six years – a decline of 20% in the last six years.
Officials say the main reason behind the decline is the country’s disappointing birth rate, the world’s lowest among 0.75 infants per woman.
South Korea mainly retains compulsory military service as the country is still technically in war with its nuclear-head neighboring, North Korea.
A study published by South Korean researchers in July suggested that the country would require at least 500,000 soldiers to defend an attack from the north, which is believed to have 1.3 million active fees members.
The study stated that the difference in military sizes put South Korea in “structurally difficult situation to succeed in defense”.
It was also noted that South Korea required “decisive action” to maintain at least 500,000 soldiers.
According to the report of the Ministry of Defense on Sunday, the number of divisions in the South Korean army has increased from 59 to 42 since 2006 – either dissolved with units or merged with each other.
South Korea is increasing its defense budget in response to increasing geopolitical stress in the region. Its defense budget for 2025 exceeds 60 trillion ($ 43bn; £ 32BN) – more than North Korea’s GDP.
In South Korea, all competent men need to serve 18 months military service, although rare exceptions are made – and sometimes provided to depots.
Military service with many men in the country is unpopular, some critics argued that the system disrupts the career of young men. The debate around this issue has also become associated with conversation around gender equality.
Some conservatives have argued that women citizens should also be included amidst the emerging demographic crisis of the country.
The country has repeatedly broken its record to be the world’s lowest birth rate: 0.98 children per woman in 2018, 0.84 in 2020, 0.72 in 2023 and 0.75 in 2024. If this trend continues, experts warned the country’s population of a population of 50 million.
