284 Extreme Suicides in the Military Over 5 Years... Most Were Non-Commissioned Officers

Non-Commissioned Officers Receiving Psychiatric Treatment Double in Three Years
Calls for Improvement in Military Culture and NCO Treatment Emerge

Over the past five years, non-commissioned officers (NCOs) have been the group with the highest number of extreme self-harm cases in the military, rather than enlisted soldiers. As more NCOs report mental health difficulties, there are calls for improvements in their treatment and military culture.

According to data received by Rep. Chu Mi-ae of the Democratic Party from the Ministry of National Defense on the 10th, from 2020 to August 2024, 284 personnel from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps have taken extreme self-harm actions. From January to August this year, 41 cases occurred, and if this trend continues, the number is expected to be similar to last year's 60 cases. By occupational group, NCOs accounted for the most cases. Over the past five years, 127 NCOs took extreme self-harm actions, more than enlisted soldiers (100), officers (35), and civilian employees (17).

The number of NCOs receiving mental health treatment is also increasing significantly. Outpatient visits to military hospitals' psychiatry departments rose from 34,781 cases in 2021 to 41,493 cases in 2023. Among these, enlisted soldiers' visits slightly increased from 39,132 in 2020 to 41,493 in 2023, but NCO visits nearly doubled from 1,956 to 3,566 during the same period.

NCOs face difficulties in revealing internal problems externally due to pressures related to promotion and a rigid internal culture. In May 2021, the late Sergeant Lee Ye-ram took extreme self-harm after experiencing sexual harassment by a superior and inadequate military response. Sergeant Lee reported the abuse to her unit and sought recovery, but instead faced coercion and secondary victimization. According to the Military Human Rights Center, at that time, Warrant Officer Nomo threatened her by saying, "Everyone present will be harmed. You could get hurt too," upon hearing her report of sexual harassment.

The need to improve NCO treatment continues to be raised. Next year, the monthly salary for a sergeant will increase by 20% to 1.5 million won, but the basic pay for a staff sergeant will only rise by 3% to 1.93 million won. If a sergeant additionally receives the Tomorrow Preparation Support Fund of 550,000 won, their monthly salary could exceed 2 million won, potentially surpassing that of an NCO. The government has allocated 604.8 billion won in next year’s defense budget to improve aging officers’ quarters, but fundamental issues regarding treatment remain criticized.

As a result, the number of personnel leaving the NCO ranks is also increasing. According to the Ministry of National Defense, from January to September this year, 3,170 NCOs were discharged from the Army, but only 1,280 were commissioned as staff sergeants. The competition rate for NCO positions has also declined, dropping from 4.9 to 1 in 2019 to 1.8 to 1 in 2023.

Rep. Chu stated, "The high suicide rate and psychiatric treatment status of NCOs should not be dismissed as individual problems," adding, "The Ministry of National Defense must do its best to improve the treatment and mental health management of NCOs, who are the core personnel often called the 'waist' of the military, responsible for various practical duties."

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