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The South Korean Army’s noncommissioned officer recruitment rate has plunged over the past five years, amid growing calls to improve working conditions for junior officers, data showed Wednesday.
According to data submitted to Rep. Hwang Hee of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, by the Republic of Korea Army, its NCO recruitment rate dropped from 95 percent in 2020 to just 42 percent in 2024 — a decline of 53 percentage points, marking the lowest among all branches of the armed forces.
Of the Army’s recruitment quota of 8,100 NCOs in 2024, only 3,400 positions were filled, meeting less than half of the target.
Other branches also saw similar declines. The Navy’s NCO recruitment rate fell from 90 percent to 55 percent, the Air Force from 100 percent to 69 percent, and the Marine Corps from 98 percent to 76 percent during the same period.
Amid sluggish new recruitment, an increasing number of experienced officers are also leaving the service. The number of mid- and long-term enlisted veterans who retired over the past five years rose from 6,877 in 2020 to 9,523 last year — an increase of 38.5 percent.
Voluntary resignations — excluding retirements due to age or honorable discharge — also rose steadily from 3,154 in 2020 to 5,506 in 2024. Among them, voluntary departures among Army NCOs more than doubled from 1,147 to 2,480, while those among Navy NCOs increased from 228 to 615.
In a statement, Rep. Hwang warned, “If the NCO system collapses amid difficulties in recruiting enlisted personnel due to troop reductions, the military could face serious gaps in combat readiness and command structure.” He called for a “comprehensive overhaul of personnel management, including better pay, improved working conditions, and a rationalized promotion system.”
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