Korean Ministry of Defense: Troop Numbers Reduced by 110,000 in 6 Years, 17 Army-Level Units Disbanded

According to a report by Yonhap News Agency on August 10, an official report released that day stated that the South Korean military has shrunk by 20% over the past six years, from 690,000 to 450,000 personnel, with 17 army-level units being disbanded or merged. The main reason is the sharp decline in the number of males of conscription age.

The report said that the South Korean Ministry of Defense and the Military Manpower Administration pointed out that the size of the South Korean military has been continuously decreasing since the early 2000s, when the strength was about 690,000. Since the late 2010s, the rate of reduction has accelerated. In 2019, the number of active-duty soldiers and officers was approximately 563,000, and it dropped to 450,000 in July 2025. Data shows that the South Korean military strength has decreased by 110,000 in six years, while at least 500,000 personnel are needed to maintain the armistice, resulting in a gap of 50,000 personnel.

According to the latest estimate by the South Korean Ministry of Defense in 2022, the number of active-duty personnel in North Korea is approximately 1.2 million.

The report pointed out that the direct consequence of the reduction in troop numbers is reflected in the decrease in the number of army-level units. According to the South Korean defense reform plan, the number of army-level units has decreased from 59 in 2006 to the current 42, with 17 units being disbanded or merged. The units to be disbanded mainly include combat units (infantry and mechanized units) and non-essential units in Gangwon Province and northern Gyeonggi Province.

The South Korean Ministry of Defense also mentioned that the number of officers is also in short supply, and if this trend continues, it may lead to limitations in combat capability.

According to the report, the task of disbanding units is shared by surrounding units, which has led to some units being overloaded. A single unit needs to be responsible for a broader area of defense, and its operational efficiency and response capabilities may also decline. To maintain a certain scale of active-duty forces, the Ministry of Defense is trying to attract recruits by reducing the size of substitute service and permanent reserve forces, increasing the proportion of female soldiers, and improving rewards for short-term service.

Rep. Kim Mi-ae of the National Assembly's Committee on Legislation and Judiciary believes that the conscription system should be gradually replaced with a volunteer system as promised by the president during the election, improve the conditions of service, and promote the construction of a manned-unmanned collaborative combat system.

However, South Korea's 2025 defense budget exceeded 61 trillion won (about 315.3 billion yuan), surpassing the estimated total of North Korea's economy.

The South Korean Ministry of Defense attributes the main cause of the reduction in troop numbers to low birth rates and improved treatment of soldiers leading to a reduced attraction of officer positions.

According to data from the South Korean government, the population of 20-year-old males decreased by 30% between 2019 and 2025, reaching 230,000. Twenty is the age at which most males who pass physical exams enlist for military service, and the current term of service is 18 months. In 1953, healthy males had to serve for 36 months.

According to a report by Reuters, South Korea is one of the countries with the lowest birth rate and the fastest aging population in the world. In 2024, South Korea's fertility rate was 0.75, the lowest in the world. The South Korean government predicts that the population will peak at 51.8 million in 2020 and is expected to shrink to 36.2 million by 2072.

In June 2024, then-South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol declared that South Korea has entered a "population emergency," emphasizing the need to fully address the issue of low birth rates.

A survey conducted by the Korean Association of Population and Welfare in March 2024 showed that one in five unmarried women in South Korea does not want to have children, and one in seven unmarried men holds the same view.

A survey conducted by the South Korean Committee on Childless and Aging Society in 2024 showed that nearly 40% of unmarried men and women have no intention of getting married or have never considered marriage. For the reasons why they intend to marry but have not yet done so, 82.5% of men answered that they lack the funds required for marriage, and 75.5% of women answered that they have not found an ideal partner. For the reasons why they do not want to get married, 88.9% of men answered that the economic burden of wedding expenses and preparing a new house, and 92.6% of women answered that they would have to bear household chores and childbirth after marriage.

According to the survey results, both male and female respondents in South Korea said that if economic conditions such as housing and employment, as well as conditions supporting work-family balance, were improved, they would actively consider marriage and childbearing.

For married families, a survey published by the Korean Labor Institute in May 2024 showed that, as of 2022, 27.1% of married families with household heads aged 25 to 39 had no children.

The report also showed that the proportion of working wives in childless couples increased from 53.2% in 2013 to 71% in 2022, an increase of 17.8 percentage points. However, in families with children, the proportion only increased from 36.6% to 40.6%, an increase of 4 percentage points. The report speculated that due to the difficulty of balancing career and childbearing, more couples with children give up economic activities.

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1840081171048448/

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