By I have been saying this for years that the Korean military needs to start making moves now to professionalize their force simply because of demographic reasons such as this:
The Korean military will have a difficult time maintaining a desired level of manpower over the next several years, as the number of men subjected to the draft continues to fall and the term of the service shortens, according to data obtained by the JoongAng Ilbo.
According to the Military Manpower Administration, an agency under the Ministry of National Defense that manages service-related issues, the draft rate in the Korean armed forces could fall from more than 94 percent last year to 93 percent this year.
The draft rate refers to the percentage of soldiers currently in service, in relation to the number of soldiers that the military requires each year. The administration’s target for the minimum draft rate is 93 percent. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
South Korea is a wealthy and modern country that is for all intents and purposes using forced labor to man their military force. Professionalizing the ROK Army would come at a large cost due to increased pay and benefits to recruit soldiers. These costs are likley why the ROK Army will not be fully professionalized anytime in the near future thus continuing the increasing amount of antagonism within Korean society against conscription. Here is another recent example of this antagonism:
A judge has lent his support to a conscientious objector accused of shirking his military duty, criticizing the government for failing to offer alternative forms of national service for men who don’t want to serve in the military.
Judge Park Min-jeong of Daejeon District Court has filed a petition with the Constitutional Court on behalf of a 22-year-old man, challenging the constitutionality of Clause 1 in Article 88 of the Military Service Act.
The clause states that men who fail to enlist after receiving their call-up papers without justifiable reasons face a maximum penalty of three years in jail. But Park said under Article 19 of the Constitution all citizens are entitled to “freedom of conscience.”
“The clause in the military service act is unconstitutional by excessively violating freedom of conscience by forcing conscientious objectors to do their military duty and then punishing them,” the judge said. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
Mandatory service used to be looked at as serving your country and as being the last gate to pass before you became a real man in Korean society. Now it is at best something to be avoided. Korea’s younger generation has more important things to do like go to college, work and earn more money, talk on their cell phones, and let’s not forget play Starcraft. At the very least the ROK military should begin now professionalizing their front line combat units along the DMZ. They should start with one division and begin offering increased pay, benefits, and facilities to determine the right mix of these offers that will attract recruits. There have been some signs that this may happen with talk of a voluntary service program recruiting 40,000 soldiers. What is interesting about this proposal is that the cost to fund the program is nearly equal to what the prior South Korean administration was sending to North Korea every year.
Times are changing in South Korea and the ROK military needs to change with it, however if the South Korean government still wants to keep the mandatory service requirement a key component of maintaining force strength, I guess they could always start conscripting females.
Now if the ROK military is manned with soldiers like this there would be no recruiting crisis. 
1:13 am on September 10th, 2009 1
Nothing wrong with that. You might as well say that paying taxes is "theft." My country has mandatory service too.
"Conscientious objectors" piss the shit out of me because they never have any good reasons for their objections.
8:06 am on September 10th, 2009 2
I just don't see how South Korea can reach its required manpower levels without conscription given how small its population is to begin with. Certainly professionalization and technological improvement can make up some of the gap, but if the South is preparing for some sort of war and occupation of North Korea, then I don't see how they can build the size of army they'll need for the task without conscription.
12:57 pm on September 10th, 2009 3
Think about it. Right now, about 15% of the Male Korean military has had some kind of sexual harassment. Seniors get to enjoy the "kiss of the black rose" as they say, from their juniors. What would happend if you threw women in the mix.
6:48 pm on September 10th, 2009 4
Conscript everyone like Israel does. This may have the added benefit of eventually allowing the US to get the hell out of an ungrateful korea instead of being nothing more than tripwires.
Can you imagine how much MORE korea chicks would whine. If that's at all possible!
3:45 am on February 16th, 2010 5
@Smoothbore
As a person of Korean ancestry, I'm grateful of what US did in Korea.
BUT, dang, how long do you want to milk it? And let's not forget that ROK rotated a quarter million men through Vietnam with 3 Infantry division during the Vietnam conflict. That's a lot of men and blood spilt for a small country.
Let me ask you, are you grateful to the French for helping US establish itself as a republic by kicking out the British?
10:32 pm on February 16th, 2010 6
I have some doubts ROK could actually get enough people to join. Years ago, I was watching the Revolutionary War movie "The Patriot" with my nephew Hee Sub. There is a scene right after South Carolina declares independence where men are lining up to join the Army. Hee Sub says to me "Oh, they're drafting!". It took me 20 or so minutes to explain to him they were volunteering and it would be nearly 100 years before America took its first shot at conscription. I don't think he really believed me.
I just can't fathom the young Korean males I know signing up to low crawl in the mud with the possibility of getting shot at for any amount of money and benefits. Maybe they could continue drafting but offer the extra goodies to those who sign back up after their term is up. It would be a slow method, but it may get folks used to the concept.
4:52 am on February 17th, 2010 7
I'll answer that question.
The French are not STILL doing that job. So the answer is No.
The Americans ARE still serving in Korea. They are STILL being separated from their wives and kids to protect a small country that many never heard of before putting on a Uniform.
"how long do you want to MILK it?"
Answer: Untill we stop having to act as a trip wire for Korea!
When Korea no longer needs help.
When Korea can defend itself.
When American Soldiers are no longer separated from their Familys to serve in an ungreatful little country of no importance.
When we are no longer (IN) Korea, doing the Job Koreans SHOULD do for themselves, is when we will stop "milking it".
As for the service of ROK troops in Vietnam—Thank you for the service!
I heard and read nothing but good things about the ROK Army in Vietnam.
Seriously, Glad the ROK was there.
What are you doing TODAY for the war on Terriorism? I hear the Latrines the ROK Army built in Iraq are first class.