'Long Service Period' Causes Junior Officer Recruitment Shortage... ROTC Holds First Additional Recruitment Since Establishment

Record Lowest Competition Rate This Year

The Army has launched an additional recruitment drive for ROTC candidates for the first time since its founding. As the ROTC application rate has been declining every year, concerns are growing that the shortage of junior officers who choose the military as a career is causing difficulties in military personnel management.

According to the Army on the 31st, the Army Cadet Military School plans to announce additional recruitment for ROTC candidates in August. The competition rate for ROTC officers dropped from 4.8 to 1 in 2015 to 2.4 to 1 in 2022, and this year it is reported to have fallen even lower than last year, marking the lowest competition rate ever recorded.

The Army Cadet Military School has been working on institutional improvements, such as expanding the commissioning of ROTC officers from once a year in March to twice a year starting this year, but many point out that more fundamental measures are needed. Currently, the service period for enlisted soldiers is 18 months in the Army, but ROTC officers serve between 24 to 36 months depending on the branch, which discourages potential recruits from applying.

Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop mentioned in April that "the reason for the low ROTC application rate is that the service period is longer than that of enlisted soldiers," and added, "We are considering shortening the ROTC service period."

While the government has promised a monthly salary of 1.5 million won and a support allowance of 550,000 won for sergeants by 2025, the salary for junior officers remains stagnant, raising concerns that enlisted soldiers' pay may surpass that of officers.

ROTC was established on June 1, 1961, at 16 comprehensive universities nationwide, modeled after the U.S. system. The Navy established ROTC in 1958, the Air Force in 1971, and the Marine Corps in 1974, with the Army ROTC accounting for 92% of the total. Currently, ROTC programs for the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps operate at 118 university military units.