Minister Shin Won-sik's Directive No. 1: "Improvement of Service Conditions for Junior Officers"

Formation of Promotion Council Led by Deputy Minister of National Defense ... Promotion of ROTC Activity Expense Increase, etc.

On the 1st, Shin Won-sik, Minister of National Defense, stated, "We must create an advanced defense culture where junior officers can serve with pride and dedication."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Through the 'Command Letter No. 1,' the first directive issued to all branches after his inauguration, Minister Shin emphasized, "Junior officers, who are the foundation of the armed forces and key talents for national security, are facing difficult service conditions due to various reasons such as pay and living environment." Junior officers refer to officers and non-commissioned officers within five years of commissioning. They constitute 40% (about 78,000 personnel) of the military's cadre 'backbone,' but compared to enlisted soldiers, they have relatively longer service periods and poor economic treatment, leading to a rising trend in attrition rates.

In response, Minister Shin introduced various efforts by the Ministry of National Defense, including ▲increasing short-term service incentives and allowances ▲extending the maximum hours for overtime pay ▲raising special duty and on-call duty allowances ▲improving officer housing conditions ▲expanding free medical care for military families ▲providing heating support for remote areas ▲and creating military towns in urban areas.

He added, "The essence of the military is to fight and win against the enemy," emphasizing, "Unnecessary tasks that undermine this essence should be boldly excluded, and essential tasks must be prioritized." He urged a departure from unit management centered on report writing and meetings, encouraging the establishment of a culture of working on-site at bases, operational areas, and training grounds.

The Ministry of National Defense also formed the 'Junior Officer Service Condition Improvement Promotion Council,' chaired by Vice Minister Kim Seon-ho. At a press briefing at the Ministry, Vice Minister Kim said, "With a sense of urgency, we will activate all available authority to ensure welfare that junior officers can tangibly feel."

The Ministry plans to first increase the competency enhancement activity allowance paid to ROTC officers. Currently, this allowance is given only during the academic semester, excluding training periods, i.e., 80,000 KRW per month for 8 months a year. The military intends to raise the amount to an appropriate level and extend the payment period to cover all 12 months during next year’s budget review by the National Assembly.

They are also pushing for a related legal amendment to commission all graduates of the Army 3rd Military Academy as long-term service officers. The 3rd Military Academy selects cadets from those who have graduated from a two-year college or have completed at least two years of a four-year university, with a mandatory service period of six years after graduation. Compared to graduates of the Korea Military Academy, who typically serve 10 years, the shorter service period has been criticized for lower job stability. Currently, the long-term service rate among 3rd Military Academy graduates is about 60-70%, and the goal is to raise this to 100%. However, some argue that this would eliminate the differences between the 3rd Military Academy and the Korea Military Academy, suggesting a need to consider merging the two. The Ministry of National Defense responded by stating, "This is not currently under consideration."

In the long term, the plan is to change the military personnel structure from a 'pyramid shape,' with many enlisted soldiers and junior officers, to a 'jar shape,' with more mid-level officers. To this end, the selection rate of long-term service officers among bachelor’s degree and ROTC officers will be increased from the current 58% to 80% of applicants to enhance job stability. Additionally, although it has been common for junior officers to share a single room with several others while serving in harsh conditions at the front lines, the Ministry plans to complete new construction and remodeling of accommodations by 2026 to assign one room per person.

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