SEDaily reports that:

As part of efforts toward self-reliant defense, Lee called for accelerating defense reform and raised the topic of “selective conscription.” The selective conscription system, which Lee has advocated since his presidential candidacy, would maintain the current mandatory conscription system while allowing eligible conscripts to choose between short-term enlistment (10 months of service) and long-term service (36 months as technology-intensive combat noncommissioned officers or military civilian employees). The core concept is to deploy more technology-intensive combat NCOs and military civilian employees instead of conscripts in specialized fields such as key weapons system operations.

South Korea’s president appears to be driven by the belief that the battlefield environment is evolving and that the military must become more advanced to adapt to these new demands.

As we have noted previously, in January, President Lee Jae-myung publicly expressed sympathy with claims by men in their 20s that mandatory military service creates “reverse discrimination.” This marks the first time a Korean president has directly acknowledged disadvantages stemming from fulfilling conscription duties.

“At a New Year press conference on the 21st at the Yeongbingwan (State Guesthouse) of Cheong Wa Dae, President Lee said the argument that men in their 20s are in a relatively disadvantaged position in several areas—including military service—has merit.”

“He added that a shrinking overall pool of opportunities and the difficulty of entering society have fueled resentment among men in their 20s.”