Holding a Forum on System Improvement to Secure Outstanding Junior Officers

ROTC Korea Central Association (President Park Jin-seo, 15th class) Holds Institutional Improvement Forum for Securing Excellent Junior Officers on the 4th at National Assembly Members' Office Building Seminar Room 1, Co-hosted by Assemblymen Jeong Pil-mo (19th class, Democratic Party), Seong Il-jong (23rd class, People Power Party), Hong Seong-guk (24th class, Democratic Party), and Kim Min-gi (26th class, Democratic Party)... Proposes ROTC Service Period Reduction and Institutional Improvements to Secure Talented Personnel

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] The Korea ROTC Central Association (President Park Jin-seo, 15th class), composed of 220,000 ROTC officers, will hold a policy improvement forum to secure excellent junior officers on the 4th at the National Assembly Members' Office Building Seminar Room 1. The event is co-hosted by National Assembly members Jeong Pil-mo (19th class, Democratic Party), Seong Il-jong (23rd class, People Power Party), Hong Seong-guk (24th class, Democratic Party), and Kim Min-gi (26th class, Democratic Party).

Hwang Hee, the secretary of the National Defense Committee of the National Assembly, will also participate, and the forum chair will be Kim Young-rae (6th class), former president of Dongduk Women’s University and former president of the Korean Political Science Association.

The presentation will be given by retired Army Lieutenant General Ko Hyun-soo (20th class), former commander of the 2nd Army Corps and chairman of the Defense and Security Committee of the ROTC Central Association. He will address the low application rate of junior officers, employment issues, and welfare support problems, especially proposing future-oriented supplementary measures for ‘shortening the ROTC service period’ to secure excellent junior officers.

Discussants include Lee In-gu, Director of Human Resources Policy at the Ministry of National Defense; Kim Jun-hong, Director of Welfare Policy at the Ministry of National Defense; Kim Jong-deok, Director of Education and Training Policy at the Ministry of National Defense; Kim Kyung-jung, Deputy Director of Personnel Planning and Service at Army Headquarters; Professor Park Hyo-seon (21st class) of the Military Science Department at Cheongju University; and Kim Jun-cheol (28th class), Vice Chairman of the Rights Committee of the ROTC Central Association.

In particular, Professor Park Hyo-seon emphasized ‘the reasons why excellent talents avoid applying for ROTC officer positions’ and ‘the necessity of bold policy introduction and institutional improvements to attract outstanding talents.’

The ROTC (Reserve Officers' Training Corps), which accounts for more than 70% of junior officers in front and rear units, has maintained a service period of 28 months since 1968, extended from 24 months at its establishment in 1961, unlike the reduction of soldiers’ service period (currently 18 months). This period has been maintained for 52 years, and the application rate has sharply declined due to the lack of merits in employment and welfare.

This is a crisis for ROTC and has emerged as a serious issue for securing excellent junior officers and national security.

Regarding this, President Park Jin-seo of the Central Association said, “As the need to secure excellent junior officers was raised in the recent National Assembly audit, it is necessary to improve the cyclical system of selection, training, commissioning, and post-discharge employment of junior officers, who are the cornerstone of future national defense.” He added, “Especially regarding post-discharge employment, a virtuous cycle structure where the military and society are mutually integrated should be established so that excellent military personnel can be well utilized in various organizations after entering society, contributing to national and social development.”

In particular, it is predicted that the issue of shortening the service period will soon change through the active will of related organizations such as the Ministry of National Defense and Army Headquarters, and consensus on institutional improvements, recognizing the direction of army innovation, future defense environment, and public demand.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.