faced with the demographic decline which worries the army, elected officials suggest imposing military service on girls

It’s not just France that is thinking about “demographic rearmament”. In South Korea, it is the army which is worried about the consequences of the demographic collapse on its ability to recruit future soldiers.

The demographic crisis affecting many countries in Europe does not spare Asia, notably Japan and South Korea. Here the fear of no longer finding recruits for the army is all the more acute as its northern neighbor seems to have ever more bellicose ideas for the future. A South Korean political party suggests imposing military service on girls, particularly those who would like to become civil servants.

The demographic situation is quite alarming in South Korea. The country has just announced that the number of births had fallen further in 2023. According to the latest calculations from the Statistics Korea agency, in 2023, there would have been only 230,000 babies, half the number there Eight years. Until 2015, South Korea still recorded more than 440,000 births per year.

Fewer babies mean fewer workers, but also fewer young people likely to join the army in a geopolitical period which is nevertheless quite tense. South Korea still faces the threat of a provocation or clash with North Korea, which has considerably increased its arsenal in recent years.

Women helping the army

The South Korean army is wondering how it will be able to maintain its troops to ensure the defense of the nation in the event of conflict. It is for this reason that elected officials are beginning to suggest the establishment of compulsory military service for women. This is a new, rather conservative party, the Reform Party, which was launched just before the legislative elections next April. Its leader, Lee Jun-seok, a young 38-year-old elected official, explains that it is time for women to be mobilized to defend the nation.

For now, in South Korea, military service is only compulsory for men, all of whom must join the army for at least 18 months. Very few can escape it. Even big K-Pop stars and actors serve. The idea is therefore to ask certain women to follow the men under the flags.

Development of a professional army

Initially, this conscription would only concern women who then want to become civil servants in the security field. Girls who want to work in the police, prisons or fire brigades should be the first to do military service. But the Reform Party is now proposing to extend this obligation to other professions.

This proposal is not really popular at the moment. The Reform Party has just revealed its idea, but the debate in South Korea at the moment is more about the development of a professional army. Elected officials who call for the conscription of women are still rare and this proposal is seen as a political stunt to try to attract the votes of young men in the country, many of whom complain about military service.