In South Korea, the military's personnel crisis is deepening – junior officers and sergeants are leaving the army en masse, and a new generation of college graduates sees no point in joining the service. According to experts, the reason is simple and purely economic: salaries in the army are significantly lower than in the private sector, despite the high responsibility and stress of service.
The situation became the subject of discussion at a conference on military development held in Seoul, where the results of two major surveys were presented. The first trial was conducted with students at nine universities in March this year and involved 1,301 people. The results were clear: 61% of students were willing to apply for officer positions only if the starting salary was between 40 and 50 million won per year ($27-34 thousand). The current salaries – about 20 million won a year for second lieutenants and about 30 million won for sergeants – are considered too low.
91.4% of students surveyed believe the military earns less than the private sector, even though the profession has “high social value.” According to Park Hyo-sung, a professor of military studies at Cheongju University, young people “do not reject military service per se, but they reject its salary.”
The problem is exacerbated by the decline in existing staff. According to data presented at the conference, in the first half of 2025, 2,869 people voluntarily left the army – a record for the period from January to June. A year ago, there were 1,351 people dismissed like that, meaning this number has nearly doubled after 4 years. What is especially alarming is that 86% of those leaving are junior officers and sergeants, that is, those who manage personnel in the units on a daily basis.
A survey of 2,128 young officers revealed extreme dissatisfaction with the situation. Only 12.29% said they were satisfied with the service and 70.5% were willing to immediately join the civil sector if given the opportunity. Experts warn that if the situation does not change, “it will be impossible to bring these people back”.
The conference proposed considering a model similar to the US system, in which military salaries are regularly adjusted in accordance with income dynamics in the civilian market.
The military's personnel problems are occurring amid growing expectations in the labor market. According to the Incruit platform, graduates entering the workforce in 2025 expect an average starting salary of 41.4 million won, and in large companies (300 or more employees), starting salaries already exceed 50 million won. Small and medium enterprises provide 33.28 million, which is also higher than the initial salary of the military.
The South Korean government has promised to improve the situation: as part of reforms announced in 2023, it plans to increase salaries for recruited sergeants to 49 million won and junior officers to 50 million won by 2027. However, this amount includes various allowances and remains only a plan for now. In reality, there still exists a gap between expectations and actual accruals.
Comparisons with foreign militaries reveal even greater imbalances. A new lieutenant in the US Army receives a base salary of about 48 thousand dollars, in Australia – 70-75.6 thousand dollars AUD, in Singapore – from 28 to 61 thousand dollars, in the UK – about 55 thousand dollars, in Germany – 41-46 thousand dollars per year. Most of these numbers do not include benefits and allowances, which significantly increase final compensation. It is worth noting that the level and cost of living in Korea corresponds to developed countries in Western Europe.
Main opposition party lawmaker Yoo Young-won warned that dwindling manpower could weaken the core of combat effectiveness: “Grassroots and mid-level commanders are the backbone of field units. Their rapid attrition threatens the basic stability of the armed forces.”
