Starting Next Year, Army Technical Administrative Soldiers Will Be Recruited on an Annual Basis

7,000 Recruits to Enlist Next Year
Applications Open in July

The Military Manpower Administration will pilot an annual recruitment system for Army technical administrative soldiers.

The Military Manpower Administration announced on the 26th that it will accept applications in July this year for about 7,000 recruits in six technical specialties of Army technical administrative soldiers who will enlist in 2026. The specialties accepting applications in July this year are armored vehicle operation, K-55 self-propelled artillery operation, K-9 self-propelled artillery operation, chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) defense, wheeled armored vehicle driving, and general medical service.

Army technical administrative soldiers have been recruited on a monthly basis, with enlistment occurring within three months after application submission. However, the Military Manpower Administration explained that there has been a concentration of applicants in the first half of the year, which is a relatively preferred enlistment period, and a lower application rate in the second half, causing difficulties in maintaining a balanced troop operation throughout the year.

On the morning of the 17th, when the first military service physical examination of 2021 was conducted, a examinee at the Seoul Regional Military Manpower Administration in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, received a "Active Duty" result. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

To address this issue, the Military Manpower Administration will accept applications in July this year for Army technical administrative soldiers enlisting next year (limited to the six pilot specialties mentioned above) and will select the annual enlistment personnel collectively in October. Selected applicants will enlist in the month they are finally accepted among their preferred enlistment months chosen at the time of application. The first and second preferences must each be one month from the first or second half of the year, and the third preference will be randomly assigned if there are any months with insufficient recruits, only for those who wish to specify it.

Detailed recruitment schedules and the number of recruits by specialty will be announced on the Military Manpower Administration’s website in June this year.

An official from the Military Manpower Administration stated, “By selecting next year’s enlistment candidates in advance, the military can manage personnel proactively for more stable troop operations, and applicants can confirm their military service timing early, which is expected to help with future planning.”