Park Yong-jin Raises 'Gender-Equal Military Service System' "Ministry of National Defense Irresponsible"

Park Yong-jin, member of the Democratic Party of Korea.

[Asia Economy Reporter Joo-mi Lee] Park Yong-jin, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea who advocated for the transition to an all-volunteer military system and the introduction of a gender-equal military service system, said, "It is irresponsible not to propose the gender-equal military service system out of fear of controversy." He criticized the Ministry of National Defense for avoiding this issue.

On the 19th, on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' Park responded to some criticisms that the 'gender-equal military service system,' which proposes that not only men but also women receive basic military training, would fuel gender conflicts, saying, "The most irresponsible group regarding this issue in South Korea right now is the Ministry of National Defense."

Park said, "Maintaining a large conscripted army of 600,000 at a very low cost is precisely the vested interest. We need to check whether the military academy graduates and generals are fulfilling their roles." He pointed out, "President Moon Jae-in has already said that the all-volunteer military system is something our society should move toward in the long term. But when I asked the Ministry of National Defense about this issue, they just repeated what President Moon said and ended the discussion."

He added, "What is the Ministry of National Defense doing to move toward this in the long term? Nothing." He criticized, "Social consensus is necessary, and in societies where both men and women serve in the military like overseas, we need to examine what side effects and improvements there are, but the Ministry of National Defense is doing nothing and trying to maintain vested interests, so it can only be viewed critically."

Regarding his reason for advocating the all-volunteer system, he stated, "I believe it is inappropriate for young people to be forced to spend their precious youth in the military." He continued, "Those who want to join the military should do so, and if they are given exceptional treatment?what I think is about the starting salary level of the top 100 conglomerates?they can become an elite, well-trained force."

Earlier, on the same day (19th), through his book 'Park Yong-jin's Political Revolution,' Park argued for increasing the total military manpower by having both men and women undergo 100 days of mandatory basic military training and transitioning the military to a system centered on volunteers.

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