Kim Kyungsoo Proposes Mixed Conscription and Voluntary Enlistment System: "Can Be Implemented Immediately"

Kim Kyungsoo Announces Social, Political, and Foreign Affairs Pledges on April 21
"Reduce Standing Military Force to 350,000 and Fill Shortfall with Volunteer Enlistment"
Plans to Introduce Minimum Income Guarantee at 40% of Median Income

Kim Kyungsoo, former governor of Gyeongnam and a preliminary presidential candidate for the Democratic Party, has announced a pledge to implement a mixed system of conscription and voluntary enlistment for military service. While other candidates have also proposed voluntary enlistment policies regarding the military service system, Kim emphasized that his plan stands out because it can be implemented immediately.

Former Gyeongnam Governor Kim Kyungsoo, a presidential candidate in the Democratic Party primary, is speaking at the pledge ceremony for fair elections held at the National Assembly on April 16, 2025. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

On April 21, at the National Assembly's press center in Yeouido, Kim held a press conference to announce his policies in the fields of education, society, politics, foreign affairs and security, and national defense. He stated that he would pursue a reform of the military service system to introduce a mixed conscription and voluntary enlistment system. Kim explained, "We will gradually reduce the standing military force to a target of 350,000 troops and fill the shortfall in conscripted personnel through voluntary enlistment."

The plan also calls for expanding the scope of voluntary enlistment to include women. Kim said, "During the policy review process, we considered a policy targeting all men and women nationwide, but this requires significant social discussion, and in terms of immediate implementation, a mixed system is more feasible." He added, "We have concluded that it is best to gradually expand the scope of voluntary enlistment, and in that process, the pool of eligible applicants can be sufficiently broadened."

When asked what differentiates his proposal from those of other candidates, Kim replied, "The mixed system can be implemented in the near future." Other Democratic Party primary candidates have also mentioned voluntary enlistment in relation to the military service system. Lee Jaemyung, former Democratic Party leader, has advocated for an optional voluntary enlistment system, while Kim Dongyeon, governor of Gyeonggi Province, has called for a complete transition to voluntary enlistment. Kim stated, "If we set an appropriate scale for voluntary enlistment and use only the current defense budget and soldier maintenance costs, voluntary enlistment can be implemented immediately."

Lee Jeongcheol, a professor at Seoul National University in charge of developing foreign affairs, security, and defense policies for Kim's campaign, explained, "We are considering a ratio of about 7:3 between conscripted and volunteer personnel. If we reduce the total number of troops from 500,000 to 400,000, it will require an additional 4 trillion won, but if we further reduce it to 350,000, the overall personnel will decrease more than the current defense budget allows, resulting in greater financial flexibility."

On the same day, Kim also pledged to implement a national basic living security system that guarantees a minimum income at 40% of the median income. For citizens earning less than 40% of the median income, a minimum living allowance of approximately 960,000 won per month will be guaranteed for single-person households. For those earning between 40% and 100% of the median income, support will be provided on a sliding scale according to income. Kim explained, "If income increases, the amount paid by the government changes, but the total benefit received increases. The more you work, the higher your total income becomes."

Yoon Hongsik, a professor at Inha University responsible for social, economic, and foreign affairs and security pledges in Kim's campaign, stated, "The required funding for implementation is 28 trillion won, but by adjusting the roles of existing income support programs, the additional cost can be reduced to roughly 15 trillion won. This can be fully accommodated if the tax cut policies pursued by the Yoon Sukyeol administration are reversed."

In addition, Kim pledged to: ▲concentrate investment in regional hub national universities through five major regional megacities ▲introduce a presidential runoff voting system and a coalition candidate nomination system ▲abolish political prosecutors and separate the investigative and prosecutorial functions of the prosecution ▲transition the Ministry of Unification to the Ministry of Peace and Cooperation ▲institutionalize a bipartisan foreign affairs and security strategy committee.