"Let's Split the 600,000 Won Private Salary"... First Case of Proxy Military Enlistment Detected

First Case of Proxy Military Enlistment Detected
Crime Committed to Cover Even Basic Needs

A man in his 20s who enlisted in the military on behalf of someone else, agreeing to split the soldier's salary in half, was caught and brought to trial. This is the first time a case of proxy enlistment has been detected.

On the 14th, Chuncheon District Prosecutors' Office announced that it recently arrested and indicted Cho, a man in his late 20s, on charges of violating the Military Service Act, obstruction of official duties by deception, and violation of the Resident Registration Act. Cho is accused of enlisting in a new recruit training center in Hongcheon-gun, Gangwon Province, in July on behalf of Choi, a man in his early 20s, agreeing to split the soldier's salary in half as payment for proxy enlistment.

The military was supposed to properly verify identities through ID checks during the enlistment process, but Cho continued his military service for three months under Choi's identity. Their crime was uncovered when Choi, fearing detection, voluntarily reported himself to the Military Manpower Administration in September.

Investigations revealed that the two met online and planned the crime. Cho committed the offense because soldier salaries are no longer as low as before and cover food, clothing, and shelter. It is also known that before the proxy enlistment, Cho had enlisted to fulfill his own military duty but was discharged due to mental health issues. The prosecution plans to indict Choi soon on charges including violation of the Military Service Act while he is under investigation without detention.

This is the first case of proxy enlistment detected since the Military Manpower Administration was established in 1970. The Military Manpower Administration stated, "This is a matter that undermines the fairness and justice of military service fulfillment, and we take it very seriously. We are analyzing the causes and circumstances of the incident and will strengthen measures to prevent recurrence, including more thorough identity verification of those subject to military service."

Additionally, the Military Manpower Administration announced that to prevent recurrence after this incident, it will reinforce identity verification procedures for those subject to military service and employee job training, and is considering introducing identity verification systems using biometric information such as iris recognition.

Meanwhile, this year’s soldier salaries are 640,000 KRW for Private (2 months), 800,000 KRW for Private First Class (6 months), 1,000,000 KRW for Corporal (6 months), and 1,250,000 KRW for Sergeant (4 months). The asset formation fund, called the "Soldier Tomorrow Preparation Support Fund," is paid at 400,000 KRW per month.