South Korea Military Conscription

Republic of Korea Army Flag

South Korea has a mandatory military conscription which requires all males to serve in the military for 21 months. The military conscription began shortly after the end of the Korean War (1950-1953). Although technically South Korea and North Korea are still at war. This is the primary reason for South Korea having a military draft. Today, one of the main problems that arise is military draft evasion. This is particularly common amongst students who are studying abroad. Students who are studying abroad have the option of delaying military service until they finish school. Also, many celebrities have also attempted to evade military service. Compared to the past and now, the South Korean government has been much more strict about military conscription, and nobody is exempt unless they have a disability. A famous example is the rap star MC Mong (Shin Dong-Hyun), who allegedly had two teeth pulled out in order to evade the military draft. There was much controversy regarding and he was received a six month jail term. One fact about this video which I found very interesting was that most of the members of the cabinet and political officials did not serve in the military.

Some friends of mine who are currently in the United States studying abroad have sent letters to delay their conscription. Almost all of them would prefer to not serve in the military. Some have even decided to just stay in the United States and not go back to Korea for a while. Just recently I found out that my friend who decided to just evade military service, cannot go back to Korea until he is 35 years old, otherwise he would be sent to jail. My dad, who served in the ROK (Republic of Korea) army for 4 years, and retired as a captain, explained how these days, the government has been much more harsh on the military conscription. During his days in the ROK army, it was easier to evade the military, but also during his time, joining the military was considered a good deed.