"Going to the Military Is a Privilege," Ruling Party Soothes 'Young Male' Voters Amid Ongoing 'Populism' Criticism

Kim Byung-gi to Propose Military Service Merit Recognition Act
Expert: "20s, Generation Directly Hit by Moon Government's Failures... Difficult to Recover Votes"

Unhojung, the Emergency Committee Chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea, is delivering opening remarks at the 1st meeting of the Special Committee on Real Estate held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building on the 27th. Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] "For true gender equality, women should also serve in the military," "Isn't this just stirring up conflict between men and women?"

The ruling party has been continuously releasing military service-related policies such as a female conscription system and military service bonus points to capture the votes of so-called 'Idaenam' (men in their 20s) following the April 7 by-elections. However, some express concerns that the political sphere's announcement of unrealistic policies may only fuel gender conflicts. Experts pointed out that the shift in the 20s generation's sentiment away from the ruling party is based on various factors such as job shortages and soaring real estate prices. They also forecast that it will be difficult to win over the 20s vote with military service-related policies alone.

On the 26th, Kim Byung-gi, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, announced plans to propose a legislative bill within this week to treat military service members as national merit recipients. The bill reportedly includes provisions to grant bonus points (less than 3%) to those who have completed military service during hiring and promotion, as well as additional points when applying for housing subscriptions.

Kim emphasized on his Facebook, "I will propose a bill to treat military service members as 'defense meritorious persons' and ensure its passage. Those who have dedicated themselves to the country will be taken care of by the state," adding, "Although it may not reach the level of existing national merit recipients, we will provide proper treatment befitting defense 'meritorious persons' in employment, housing subscriptions, and social reintegration."

He continued, "Whenever we suggest strengthening the treatment of discharged soldiers, there are always people who sarcastically ask, 'Is going to the military a privilege?'" and responded, "Going to the military is indeed a privilege. It is a precious and valuable privilege above all others."

Assemblyman Kim Byung-ki of the Democratic Party of Korea. [Photo by Yonhap News]

This is not the first time a ruling party lawmaker has voiced opinions on military service-related matters. Earlier, on the 15th, Jeon Yong-gi of the Democratic Party proposed a bill mandating the reflection of military service experience in promotion evaluations at public enterprises (partial amendment to the Act on Support for Discharged Soldiers).

Jeon stated, "Duties and rights should be proportional, but appropriate compensation equivalent to military service obligations is not being received." He added, "We also plan to discuss reintroducing military service bonus points. If it cannot be reintroduced due to unconstitutionality, we should amend the constitution to ensure discharged soldiers receive at least minimal compensation."

Meanwhile, Park Yong-jin of the Democratic Party proposed on the 17th the introduction of a 'volunteer military system' and a 'gender-equal military service system.' The idea is to abolish the current conscription system but have both men and women undergo 40 to 100 days of basic military training to be trained as reservists.

This is related to the worsening sentiment among 'Idaenam.' According to exit polls by the three major broadcasters (KBS, MBC, SBS) for the April 7 by-elections, 72.5% of men in their 20s supported Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, while only 22.2% voted for former Minister of SMEs and Startups Park Young-sun.

However, there are criticisms that such political moves lack realism. Kang (26, male), a university student, said about the 'female military service' issue, "After Oh Se-hoon was elected mayor, the ruling party released many military service-related pledges. Since men in their 20s turned their backs on the Democratic Party, they hurriedly made pledges to win votes," adding, "Realistically, these pledges don't seem feasible. It would be better to focus on improving military service conditions."

He further criticized, "It only seems like these unrealistic policies are stirring up conflict between men and women," and pointed out, "These days, when I read military-related articles, the comments are full of fights between men and women."

Soldiers are heading to the train at Seoul Station. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

Some have expressed opinions that women should also receive basic military training. Kim (27, female), an office worker, said, "Since our country is still in a ceasefire state, women should also receive basic military training," adding, "If women undergo training, their response speed in emergencies such as war will improve just like men, which will be greatly helpful. Also, their understanding of the military will increase."

On the other hand, there are claims that political considerations for women in their 20s have been excluded. Former Democratic Party Supreme Council member Park Sung-min posted on Facebook, "I want to examine what kind of society is intended by mechanically emphasizing equality because the voices of young men must be properly represented, by 'eliminating' women's policies or distancing from gender equality agendas, and by bringing back systems like the 'military service bonus points' that were ruled unconstitutional long ago."

Experts evaluated that military service-related policies are insufficient to regain the support of 'Idaenam' who have turned away. Political commentator Lee Jong-hoon said, "After losing the votes of men in their 20s, they are now releasing various policies to try to win them back. Such actions may rather undermine sincerity," adding, "Also, women in their 20s may actually turn away because of these policies."

He continued, "The departure of men in their 20s is not due to military service issues. Rising housing prices, the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) speculation scandal, and insufficient youth jobs all had an impact," and pointed out, "The 20s generation was directly hit by the failures of the Moon Jae-in administration. Therefore, unless policies succeed again, it will be difficult to regain the sentiment of people in their 20s."

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