"Concerns from All Sectors Gathered...
Comprehensive Reconsideration"
The Ministry of National Defense has decided to put on hold its plan to strengthen the screening process for soldier promotions, which had previously been considered almost automatic, in response to concerns raised by various sectors.
On the 25th, the Ministry of National Defense announced, "Taking into account public petitions and requests from the National Assembly regarding the soldier promotion system, we have decided to temporarily suspend the implementation of the system and conduct a comprehensive review of how it should be carried out."
Kim Sunho, Acting Minister of National Defense, is responding to lawmakers' questions at the National Defense Committee plenary meeting held at the National Assembly on the 25th. Photo by Yonhap News
This decision was made following instructions from Kim Sunho, Acting Minister of National Defense, after he attended the plenary session of the National Defense Committee at the National Assembly that afternoon. During the committee meeting, lawmakers from both the ruling and opposition parties requested reconsideration, noting that many parents of soldiers were greatly concerned about the strengthened promotion screening process.
The Ministry of National Defense stated, "Accordingly, we will take sufficient time to collect diverse opinions from all sectors of society and review the optimal measures that can encourage faithful service and enhance the military's combat capabilities."
The amendment to the soldier personnel management regulations, prepared by the Ministry of National Defense last month, stipulated that if a soldier was omitted from the promotion screening and remained at the rank of private first class, they would be promoted to corporal on the first day of the month of discharge and to sergeant on the actual day of discharge. This raised opposition, as it theoretically allowed for a situation in which a soldier could remain a private first class for 15 consecutive months in the Army, from two months after becoming a private until the month before discharge.
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