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Improving conditions for junior officers must be a top defense reform priority

Published: 19 Jun. 2025, 00:04

Moon Hong-sik

The author is a former army chief of public affairs and retired brigadier general

The Lee Jae Myung administration faces an array of national challenges, from healing political divisions to restoring democratic values. Among them is rebuilding the integrity of Korea’s military, the final safeguard of national security. The new government has pledged to carry out sweeping defense reforms to create a mission-focused military. At the heart of any serious reform must be the strengthening of junior officers — the core of the armed forces.

The military, like an iceberg, often hides its gravest problems below the surface. In Korea’s armed forces today, that submerged crisis is the condition of junior officers. This group refers to commissioned and noncommissioned officers with fewer than five years of service, accounting for approximately 40 percent of the officer corps.

Newly commissioned noncommissioned officers pose for a photo during the Class 21-2 commissioning ceremony at the Army Noncommissioned Officer Academy in Iksan, North Jeolla, on Aug. 27, 2021. A total of 487 NCOs, including 402 women, were commissioned as staff sergeants during the event. [NEWS1]

A comment from a first lieutenant at a 2024 roundtable with departing junior officers still lingers in my memory: “When I chose to become an officer, I was drawn to intangible ideals like patriotism and service. But in time, those values faded, and now, just before I leave, I regret my decision.” Many junior officers today are at a breaking point.

According to the 2024 National Defense Statistics Yearbook, beginning in 2020, junior officers began filing more stress-related counseling requests through the military’s “Defense Help Call” service than enlisted personnel did. Disciplinary actions, which had remained below 1,000 cases annually until 2022, surged past 1,200 in 2023. Most involved officers in their first five years. While many cases stem from personal issues, unit-level pressure and heavy workloads also contribute.

The recruitment and retention of junior officers is increasingly strained. Early resignations are rising among fifth-year officers and cadets at service academies and Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) programs. Officer application rates have plummeted to half what they were a decade ago. Once considered a marginal assignment, ROTC command posts now carry orders as urgent as those of active combat units — tasked with boosting applications by any means necessary.

Korean military to bump pay of front-line officers, NCOs

Compounding the issue is a sharp decline in eligible conscripts. Korea recorded 438,700 births in 2015. That figure is projected to fall to just 238,300 in 2024. Those born in 2015 will begin entering military service around 2035.

If current support for junior officers remains unchanged, the military will likely face even greater personnel shortages by the mid-2030s, regardless of whether it relies on conscription or voluntary enlistment. With demographic decline tightening the civilian labor market, it is unclear how many young people will choose a military career over civilian opportunities.

To revitalize the armed forces, the government must make bold investments in junior officers. While the Ministry of National Defense is pushing to double military salaries compared to those of other public servants and to improve outdated housing conditions by guaranteeing private rooms, these efforts will fall short. Past defense policies largely centered on enlisted troops. It is now time to focus on junior officers and seek a more balanced support structure within their ranks.

Several policy initiatives deserve consideration. First, career development programs — such as civilian mentorship, job planning or transition training — could offer meaningful support. These would provide a pathway for officers and the institution to grow together. Recognizing junior officers’ sacrifices would also boost morale indirectly.

Soldiers from the Army's 21st Infantry Division conduct guard duty while inspecting a snow-covered fence line on the morning of Dec. 12, 2023. At Gachilbong, the Army’s highest observation post at an elevation of 1,242 meters, 11 centimeters of snow fell overnight. [MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEFENSE/NEWS1]

Administrative burdens should be dramatically reduced. While military chiefs have repeatedly called for easing the amount of paperwork required of combat units, front-line officers remain overwhelmed. Junior officers, who sit at the base of the leadership pyramid, must manage personnel and training while also undergoing required instruction on social inclusion, gender sensitivity and multiculturalism. The scope of their duties has expanded far beyond what their predecessors faced.

To ensure lasting reform, the Ministry of National Defense should establish a dedicated junior officer committee under the defense minister’s direct oversight. Last year, I visited all general outpost units across the country. At that time, concerns about poor conditions for junior officers were widespread. And yet, at every post, I saw determination in the eyes of young officers who vowed not to miss a single enemy movement. It gave me hope.

We cannot wait. The year 2035 is not far off. The future of Korea’s military depends on action we take in the present.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.