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from https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/south-koreas-military-has-shrunk-by-20-six-years-male-population-drops-2025-08-10/?utm_source=newsshowcase&utm_medium=gnews&utm_campaign=CDAqDQgAKgYICjC3oAwwsCYwmv26BA&utm_content=rundown&gaa_at=g&gaa_n=
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South Korea's military has shrunk by 20% in six years as male population
drops
By Jack Kim
August 10, 202512:45 AM PDTUpdated 7 hours ago

Item 1 of 3 Cadets march during a celebration to mark 76th anniversary
of Korea Armed Forces Day, in Seongnam, South Korea, October 1, 2024. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/Pool/File Photo
[1/3]Cadets march during a celebration to mark 76th anniversary of Korea
Armed Forces Day, in Seongnam, South Korea, October 1, 2024. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/Pool/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

SEOUL, Aug 10 (Reuters) - South Korea's military shrank by 20% in the
past six years to 450,000 troops, largely due to a sharp drop in the
population of males of enlistment age for mandatory service in the
country with the world's lowest birthrate, a report said on Sunday.
The dramatic decline in the pool of available males for military service
is also causing a shortfall in the number of officers and could result
in operational difficulty if it continues, the defence ministry said in
the report.
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The report was made to the ruling Democratic Party member of parliament
Choo Mi-ae, whose office released it.
South Korea's military has steadily declined since the early 2000s when
it had about 690,000 soldiers. The pace accelerated during the late
2010s and there were about 563,000 active-duty soldiers and officers in
2019.
North Korea is believed to have an active-duty military of about 1.2
million, according to the latest estimate by the defence ministry in 2022.
In the period between 2019 and 2025, the population of 20-year-old males declined by 30% to 230,000, according to government data, the age when
most men who pass a physical exam enlist for military service, which is
now 18 months long.

The military has cited improved capabilities as a key reason for
shortening service periods, made possible by a military alliance with
the United States and the development of a defence industry that has
become a major exporter of arms.
Able-bodied men served 36 months in 1953 when the Korean War ended in an armistice.
South Korea's defence budget, at more than 61 trillion won ($43.9
billion) in 2025, is larger than the estimated size of North Korea's
economy.
Still, the military is 50,000 troops short of the number of troops
adequate for maintaining defence readiness, the ministry said. About
21,000 of the shortfall is in the non-commissioned officer ranks, it said. South Korea is one of the world's fastest ageing societies and has the
lowest fertility rate in the world at 0.75 in 2024, which signifies the
average number of babies a woman is expected to have during her
reproductive life.

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Its population, which hit a peak of 51.8 million in 2020, is expected to
shrink to 36.2 million by 2072, according to a government projection.
($1 = 1,388.6900 won)

Reporting by Jack Kim; Editing by Christian Schmollinger

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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