Tag: conscription

conscription

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Parties clash over Blue House proposal to spur military recruitment with higher NCO pay

The president has proposed a system to incentivize conscripts to commit to longer enlistments, but the main opposition warns that such a move would pose a national security threat.

2026.6.30

Song Min-ho, member of K-pop boy band Winner, leaves the Seoul Western District Court in Mapo District, western Seoul, on April 21. [NEWS1]

Prosecutors seek 18-month prison term for Winner's Song Min-ho over service negligence allegations

Prosecutors on Tuesday demanded an 18-month prison term for Song Min-ho, a member of K-pop boy band Winner, over allegations of negligence related to his alternative mandatory service.

2026.4.21

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France's President Emmanuel Macron, front center, delivers a speech to unveil a new national military service at the military base in Varces, French Alps, on Nov. 27. Macron said France to restore voluntary military service starting from summer 2026. [AFP/YONHAP]

French president unveils new military program for volunteers aged 18 and 19

President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday unveiled a new program meant to bolster France’s armed forces by training thousands of volunteers starting next year, part of a broader response to concerns over Russia’s threat to European nations.

2025.11.28

Soldiers stand by during a joint drill to respond to a bombing and terror attack at the Government Complex Seoul in central Seoul on Aug. 19. [YONHAP]

Over four years, more than 18,000 Korean men renounced their nationality to avoid military duties

More than 18,000 Korean men subject to mandatory military conscription have given up their nationality from 2021 through August 2025, with the United States emerging as the most common destination for those seeking a new passport.

2025.10.1

Singer Steve Yoo files lawsuit against Justice Ministry over entry ban

Singer Steve Yoo, also known as Yoo Seung-jun, who was banned from entering Korea after becoming a U.S. citizen to evade mandatory military service, has begun legal proceedings against the Ministry of Justice.

2025.3.21

A poster issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs detailing the removal of passport validity restrictions for those who have not completed their military service [MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS]

10-year passports soon available for those that have not completed military service

Starting May 1, individuals who have not completed their mandatory military service will be eligible for 10-year passports, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

2024.12.2

Conscription candidates undergo physical examinations at the Gyeonggi Regional Military Manpower Administration on Feb. 1, 2023. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

26-year-old convicted of gaining weight to avoid military service

A 26-year-old man was convicted of deliberately gaining weight to avoid military service. The court ruled both had acted against the Military Service Act, imposing suspended sentences.

2024.11.24

Dressed in blue, potential conscripts undergo physical examinations at a regional Military Manpower Administration testing center in Suwon, Gyeonggi, on Feb. 7, 2022. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Enlistment requirements for transgender women may be changed by Korean Defense Ministry

In its proposal, the ministry seeks to allow transgender women, even if they have not undergone six months of hormone therapy, to enlist in alternative service.

2024.1.19

Newly commissioned Army and Navy officers attend a commissioning ceremony for the 63rd cohort of the Korea Armed Forces Nursing Academy held in Daejeon on March 6. [NEWS1]

[WHY] Will the Korean military ever draft women?

Ever wondered why BTS has to answer the call of duty, but girl groups like Blackpink don’t? Well, they actually might have to in the coming decade. The Korean military faces a population crisis of its own amid the country's ever-plunging birthrate.

2023.9.2

Protesters demand an end to Russian's invasion of Ukraine and denounce Russian President Vladimir Putin's mobilization order at a demonstration in Jung District, central Seoul, on Sept. 21. [NEWS1]

Russians in Korea fear long arm of Putin's mobilization

Fears of being called up for war are spreading among Russians residing in Korea as the ripples of fear generated by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s mobilization order reach distant shores.

2022.10.3