Mid-Level Officer Exodus Accelerates in Military... New Officer Recruitment Declines Each Year

The Backbone of the Military Is Crumbling:
Record Number of 10- to 20-Year Officers Leaving
Yoo Yongwon: "Serious Cracks in Military Personnel Structure... Urgent Need for Countermeasures"

While the departure of mid-level officers-those with 10 to 20 years of service, considered a core force of the military-is rapidly increasing, the number of newly commissioned officers continues to decline.

On the 25th, multinational allied soldiers shared their joy after capturing the target area at the 3rd International Combined Arms Training Competition (K-ICTC) held at the Army Science Training Center (KCTC) urban training ground in Inje County, Gangwon Province. Photo by Yonhap News

According to data submitted by the Ministry of National Defense to Assemblyman Yoo Yongwon, a member of the National Assembly’s National Defense Committee, the number of voluntary discharges and leaves of absence among non-commissioned officers and commissioned officers with 10 to 20 years of service reached an all-time high last year.

The number of voluntary discharges rose from 960 in 2021 to 1,301 in 2022, 1,495 in 2023, and surged to 1,821 last year. As of the end of August this year, 1,327 officers have already applied for voluntary discharge.

The number of officers taking leaves of absence also increased annually, from 2,252 in 2021 to 2,612 in 2022, 3,068 in 2023, and 3,412 last year. This year alone, 3,401 officers have already taken a leave of absence.

In contrast, the number of newly commissioned officers has been declining each year. Over the past five years, the number of newly commissioned non-commissioned officers in each branch dropped from about 10,550 in 2021 to around 6,750 last year, and as of the end of August this year, it stood at approximately 4,900.

The number of Army officers commissioned-including those from ROTC, the Korea Military Academy, and the three service academies-also continued to decrease, from about 4,860 in 2021 to 4,780 in 2022, 4,580 in 2023, 3,980 last year, and 3,710 so far this year.

Assemblyman Yoo pointed out, "The departure of junior and mid-level officers is accelerating in the second half of this year as well," adding, "This is a warning sign that serious cracks are appearing throughout the military’s personnel structure."

He further emphasized, "There is an urgent need for effective measures, such as boosting morale and improving the personnel system."