Starting next year, general soldiers in the Air Force will be selected through a random computerized lottery system, and from the year after next, the same method will be applied to general soldiers in the Navy and Marine Corps.
According to the Military Manpower Administration on December 19, the agency reported to the President the previous day that, beginning in April next year, general soldiers in the Air Force will be selected through a random computerized lottery. Until now, Air Force soldiers have been selected based on a cumulative score calculated from qualifications, licenses, and other factors, with those achieving the highest scores being chosen.
The selection cycle will also change from once a month with enlistment three months later, to twice a year with enlistment in the following year. An official from the Military Manpower Administration explained, "We have improved the selection process for enlisted soldiers to address the phenomenon of applications being concentrated in specific branches and to reduce the burden on applicants."
However, recruitment for Air Force technical specialists and special skill soldiers will continue to be based on the existing method of selecting those with the highest combined scores from qualifications and licenses, and the monthly recruitment cycle will remain unchanged.
Starting from the year after next, the Military Manpower Administration plans to apply the same random computerized lottery method to the selection of general soldiers in the Navy and Marine Corps. In addition, the agency will abolish the use of high school attendance scores in the recruitment of enlisted soldiers across all military branches, and, except for certain special skill positions such as JSA security guards and honor guards, interview evaluations will also be eliminated to further ease the burden of enlistment preparation for candidates.
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