Why is military service in Korea mandatory?

Anyone who approaches Korean culture for one reason or another will sooner or later find themselves talking about a particular topic, which is compulsory military service.

 But why is it that young people who have just graduated in Korea are still forced to do so today? What exactly is this duty to the country, and what repercussions does it have on mass culture? Let's try to find out together what military service in Korea consists of.

How long has military service been in Korea?

The Korean Military Service has been declared binding officially in 1957 and sees its basis in the Constitution of the Republic of Korea. The Constitution was promulgated in 1948, and it is possible to find Article 39, which states that every citizen has the obligation to devote himself to national defense under pre-established conditions. From that time until today it has never been interrupted and has gradually become an integral part of Korean society. It must be said that nowadays this type of duty for the country clearly does not have the purpose of preparing for a possible war as it could have been in the past. In fact, the tensions between North and South were much more heated in the last century, and also, for this reason, it was important to train the people for the occasion. Nowadays, although officially the two Koreas are not at peace and the 1953 Panmunjom Armistice is still in progress, the intentions of the two countries are absolutely aimed at mutual rapprochement.

In the most tense periods between the two Koreas, however, it was absolutely impossible to escape the 3-year military service, if not for some exceptions that we will see later. In our time, however, military service in Korea has undergone significant reductions in duration and the armed forces themselves have adopted less controversial methods of training. Finally, a clarification. Korean women, although they may decide of their own free will to join the military, are not subject to compulsory military service. Men, on the other hand, have a duty to do it in a period ranging from 19 to 28 years of age .

How does it work

When a Korean boy officially turns 19 (following the "Korean count"), he is required by the government to carry out a thorough medical examination, which will determine what kind of service the person will have to render to the country. Following this medical checkup, there are several outcomes, but basically they are divided into three results . The first, if the subject is healthy and has good physical ability, obliges the person to perform a service for an armed force. The second, if the physical form is not totally healthy, whether due to an injury or other, it is possible to render a civil service in public bodies or institutions, at the service of citizens. Finally, the third provides for the total exemption due to physical or psychological reasons.

According to the type of service to be performed, therefore, the duration of the same is subject to variations. If you join the South Korean Army or the South Korean Marine Corps you will have to do a total of 1 year and 6 months of service. In the Republic of Korea Navy the period will be 20 months, while in the Republic of Korea Air Force it will be 22 months. Finally, those chosen for the civil service will have the task of serving the country for 1 year and 9 months.

Exemptions, celebrities, scandals

Military service in Korea is still a matter of controversy today . It has become so important and ingrained in society that not doing so could mean dishonor. Most men have performed this duty, so when it is discovered that someone else has not done it, it is considered unfair to the nation and all other people who have had to sacrifice themselves. Very often it is possible to notice sudden scandals concerning famous actors or singers who, to avoid their duty, have fled abroad or through acquaintances or reasons of dubious truthfulness, have managed not to do military service.

We now come to the exemptions . It all started in 1973, when the president of the time, Park Chung-hee, introduced the exemption for artists and athletes who achieved great results or medals. This type of non-participation in the service is still active today. A clear example is the famous Tottenham football player, Son Heung-min, who won the gold medal with the national team at the 18th Asian Games in 2018.

Recently there was talk of a possible exemption of the famous BTS group . Many argue that the boy band has greatly contributed to the spread of Korean culture in the world, and for this reason it deserves to continue with its artistic activity. The members of the group themselves, however, have communicated that they are ready to serve the country, as almost all celebrities usually carry out this type of duty without problems. This is a recurring example in Korea where famous male K-Pop bands they are forced to disband temporarily for military service. When this happens, fans always show all their support and nostalgia as they anxiously wait for their favorites to return to the stage. Although there are in fact exemptions for great artists in the fields of classical music and ballet, K-Pop stars, actors, and directors are not exempted.

Curiosity

In Korean mass culture, military service has strong influences. One is about job interviews. Very often Korean companies, when looking for new staff, including the various requirements that they have completed military service, while others also accept those who have been exonerated. In these cases, in the description of the profile that the companies are looking for, the following writing could be found: ( namja neun byeongyeok pil ttoneun myeonseja ) or 'men with military service performed or exempted'.

We find another nice curiosity in the current language. Very often boyfriends, when they leave for military service, are afraid that their girlfriend will leave them. This fear is described with a single sentence, namely ( komushineul keokkuro shinda ) which literally means' wearing the rubber shoes backward ', but the real meaning is' to leave your boyfriend while he is carrying out the military service'.