SEOUL, Jan. 30 (Yonhap) -- The defense ministry said Tuesday it is not considering conscri...
SEOUL, Jan. 30 (Yonhap) -- The defense ministry said Tuesday it is not considering conscripting women for the country's mandatory military service after the issue received renewed attention in a campaign pledge ahead of the April general elections.
On Monday, the leader of the newly created Reformative Conservative Party, Lee Jun-seok, proposed having women serve in the military first if they want to apply for jobs as police officers or firefighter as a campaign pledge.
When asked about the possibility of female conscription, the ministry's spokesperson Jeon Ha-kyou denied considering it.
In South Korea, all able-bodied men must serve mandatory military service for at least 18 months, while women can volunteer for military duty as officers or noncommissioned officers.
I wonder why the Korean government doesn't draft women. According to the article, women can serve in the military as non-commissioned officers or officers, but don't non-commissioned officers and officers need more physical abilities and skills than regular soldiers?