South Korea's military shrinks 20% in 6 years
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.
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 per cent 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.
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