Gov’t mulls women enlisting in military
Published: 12 Nov. 2009, 23:02
The Ministry of National Defense is considering permitting women to enlist in the military as soldiers, working with conscripted men, government sources said yesterday.
According to a high-ranking source, the ministry is considering the notion because manpower in the Korean military is expected to drop considerably in the next several years.
Currently, women can enlist as officers or as non-commissioned officers. Men are conscripted for their mandatory service terms. The source said a feasibility study will be not conducted until 2011 and the decision will then be made.
The ministry will study how female soldiers can live on the same base as men, and whether it complies with the principle of gender equality, sources said. The study will be mentioned in the ministry’s handbook on manpower policies, which will not be available publicly, sources said.
Won Tae-jae, the ministry spokesman, said the female enlisting is part of the ministry’s long-term project to prepare for the decline in manpower. Won also said there would have to be certain incentives, including financial benefits, to draw women into the armed forces.
The Military Manpower Administration estimates that the number of Korean soldiers will drop from some 680,000 to around 510,000 by 2020. The government also plans to streamline its forces and introduce sophisticated weapons systems in a major defense reform plan.
The term of the mandatory service has been gradually reduced. By 2014, it will drop to 18 months from the current term of 24 months.
One source said that the change would prove effective if the female soldiers are assigned technical or support roles, rather than combat duty.
Female activists said the ministry’s move was a “positive” development. Some said the military should also prepare measures to prevent sexual harassment on base and should allow women to take on physically demanding duties.
By Yoo Jee-ho [[email protected]]
According to a high-ranking source, the ministry is considering the notion because manpower in the Korean military is expected to drop considerably in the next several years.
Currently, women can enlist as officers or as non-commissioned officers. Men are conscripted for their mandatory service terms. The source said a feasibility study will be not conducted until 2011 and the decision will then be made.
The ministry will study how female soldiers can live on the same base as men, and whether it complies with the principle of gender equality, sources said. The study will be mentioned in the ministry’s handbook on manpower policies, which will not be available publicly, sources said.
Won Tae-jae, the ministry spokesman, said the female enlisting is part of the ministry’s long-term project to prepare for the decline in manpower. Won also said there would have to be certain incentives, including financial benefits, to draw women into the armed forces.
The Military Manpower Administration estimates that the number of Korean soldiers will drop from some 680,000 to around 510,000 by 2020. The government also plans to streamline its forces and introduce sophisticated weapons systems in a major defense reform plan.
The term of the mandatory service has been gradually reduced. By 2014, it will drop to 18 months from the current term of 24 months.
One source said that the change would prove effective if the female soldiers are assigned technical or support roles, rather than combat duty.
Female activists said the ministry’s move was a “positive” development. Some said the military should also prepare measures to prevent sexual harassment on base and should allow women to take on physically demanding duties.
By Yoo Jee-ho [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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