
South Korea: Mandatory Military Service Frozen at 21 Months
(22.12.2010) The Defense Ministry on Tuesday decided to freeze mandatory military service for the Army and Marine Corps at the current 21 months effective from Feb. 27 next year. The term for the Navy, marine police, and firefighters on active duty will be 23 months, and for the Air Force 24 months effective from early January next year. The step put the brakes on a gradual reduction of conscription from 24 months to 18 months for the Army, 20 months for the Navy and 21 months for the Air Force, which was announced in September 2007.