Enlistment Suitability Examinations
to Be Conducted at Local Military Manpower Administration Offices
Starting in July, enlistment suitability examinations will be fully implemented across all branches of the military. As a result, the inconvenience of repeated enlistment and return home due to discrepancies between the physical examinations conducted at enlistment units and the re-examinations by the Military Manpower Administration is expected to be significantly reduced.
On June 26, the Military Manpower Administration announced that, beginning in July, enlistment suitability examinations will be fully implemented for all branches of the military (Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps). The enlistment suitability examination is a system that replaces the physical examination previously conducted at military units after enlistment. Instead, a physical and psychological examination is conducted at the local Military Manpower Administration office immediately before enlistment to determine fitness for military service.
Until now, the conscription suitability examination, which determines the form of military service (active duty, supplementary service, etc.) for 19-year-old conscripts, has been conducted by the Military Manpower Administration, while the physical examination to confirm fitness for service after enlistment has been conducted separately at military units.
The problem has been that discrepancies between the results of the physical examination at the enlistment unit and the re-examination by the Military Manpower Administration have caused significant inconvenience, with repeated cycles of enlistment and return home. If a health issue was found during the physical examination at the enlistment unit, the individual would be sent home, required to undergo another physical examination by the Military Manpower Administration, and then have to enlist again. According to the Military Manpower Administration, this process has caused young people to experience unexpected interruptions to their academic or career plans due to unanticipated returns home.
To address these issues, the Military Manpower Administration introduced the enlistment suitability examination in 2021. By utilizing specialized medical professionals such as doctors and psychologists, as well as advanced examination equipment, the Administration established a system that allows for precise examinations by comparing previous examination records with current health status.
Over the past four years, a pilot program for the enlistment suitability examination was conducted for 210,000 prospective Army enlistees. As a result, approximately 11,000 individuals (5.3%) who were deemed unfit for military service were identified before enlistment, significantly reducing the time wasted and inconvenience caused by return home procedures. In addition, each branch of the military has been able to reduce the burden of conducting physical examinations, allowing them to focus more on military training and new recruit management, thereby improving the efficiency of personnel operations.
The Military Manpower Administration conducts precision examinations at a general hospital level for 9 subjects and 59 items in 37 categories. In particular, the psychological examination is structured as a four-stage evaluation system, enabling the early detection of psychological vulnerabilities even in individuals without a history of psychiatric treatment, through a detailed psychological assessment. The number of individuals subject to the enlistment suitability examination is expected to increase from 150,000 this year to approximately 200,000 next year. In response to the increased demand, the Military Manpower Administration will open an additional Second Conscription Examination Center at the Gyeongin Regional Office (with a maximum daily capacity of 220 examinees) and begin full-scale operations in July.
Kim Jongcheol, Commissioner of the Military Manpower Administration, stated, "The full implementation of the enlistment suitability examination allows young people to assess their health before enlistment and receive necessary treatment, enabling them to serve with confidence in their health and greater stability." He added, "We will continue to do our best to improve the system and expand infrastructure to ensure the smooth implementation of the full-scale enlistment suitability examination."
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