Defense Ministry to pursue selective conscription through 'tech-intensive NCO' roles

The Ministry of National Defense said it will pursue a selective conscription policy by introducing "tech-intensive non-commissioned officer" positions in advanced science and technology fields, including manned-unmanned teaming systems, cyber operations and AI. Service terms of around four to five years are under review.

Defense Ministry spokesperson Jeong Bit-na said at a briefing Thursday that the ministry plans to gradually expand the tech-intensive NCO track in line with a military restructuring centered on advanced science and technology. "We are reviewing ways to broaden service options while maintaining universal conscription, and that is essentially the core concept of selective conscription," she said.

She added that those subject to military service currently have the option of serving as officers, non-commissioned officers or enlisted soldiers, and that the ministry is also reviewing various incentive measures to expand opportunities to choose the tech-intensive NCO path.

The tech-intensive NCO track is being designed to guarantee competitive pay and benefits, allow service members to build expertise in advanced science and technology during their service, and connect that experience to employment opportunities after discharge.

The ministry is drawing up a defense reform plan to address a shrinking pool of eligible conscripts driven by the demographic cliff. The plan calls for raising the proportion of officers and NCOs among active-duty personnel from the current 40 percent to 63 percent by 2040, while reducing the enlisted share from 60 percent to 37 percent.

President Lee Jae-myung visited the Marine Corps' Yeonpyeong unit Wednesday and reaffirmed the selective conscription policy. He said he would "minimize the number of draftees and allow people to choose the military as their own career through voluntary enlistment," as he had promised on multiple occasions.

"What we are trying to do with selective conscription is to let people choose either to serve as a career soldier with sufficient pay within the budget, or, if they prefer not to, to opt for short-term conscription," Lee said.

He added that a volunteer military would naturally give rise to specialized occupational fields, and that such experience "would be useful even after leaving the service."