In Korea's defense industry, long seen as a haven for "military buffs" or male-dominated groups, the share of employees in their 20s and women is growing. As business conditions improve, corporations have steadily increased hiring of younger staff. Promotion and marketing, which used to spotlight masculine toughness, are shifting to friendlier and more polished approaches.
◇ "Hire young talent with global sensibilities"… share of employees in their 20s and women rises
According to sustainability reports released by domestic defense corporations on the 12th, as of the end of last year, employees under 30 at LIG Defense&Aerospace (LIG D&A) numbered 1,645, accounting for 29.2% of all employees (5,631). The share of employees in their 20s has risen each year, from 22.3% (973) in 2023 and 26.8% (1,325) in 2024.
Other defense corporations show a similar trend. As of the end of last year, employees under 30 at Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) numbered 815, up 161 from the previous year. The number of employees under 30, which had stayed in the 600s from 2022 to 2024, rose noticeably last year. In contrast, the number of employees aged 30 to under 50 fell to 2,658.
Employees under 30 at Hanwha Aerospace are also increasing each year. As of the end of last year, employees under 30 totaled 1,397. The figure was 750 in 2023, nearly doubling in two years. The share of employees in their 20s is also growing. It was 6% in 2022, 11% in 2023, 15.7% in 2024, and 17.1% in 2025.
At Hyundai Rotem, employees under 30 numbered 740 (out of 4,562), for a share of 16%. That was up 1 percentage point from a year earlier.
The share of women in the workforce is also increasing every year. At the four major defense corporations, women employees totaled 2,272 last year, or 9.6% of all employees (23,600). Compared with 1,179 in 2022, the number surged 92.2% in three years, and the share rose by 2.3 percentage points.
A defense industry official said, "As exports have surged and overseas business expanded, corporations actively hired young talent with global sensibilities, quickly increasing the number of employees in their 20s and women."
◇ Marketing and PR stress friendliness… wordplay and mascots make appearances
As organizations skew younger, defense corporations are changing how they market and promote. Promotional channels that once focused on footage from overseas exhibitions, weapons systems in operation, and photos of memorandum of understanding (MOU) signings are now featuring various memes, wordplay, and mascots. A meme refers to an image or phrase that spreads like a trend on the internet or in pop culture.
LIG D&A, after changing its corporate name in April, posted "D&A does it" on its official Instagram. The caption read, "Did you think we were only good at defense? LIG Nex1 has also been interested in space. With our new name, we aim to expand the space capabilities we have built." It also posted "We do torpedoes," "We do drones," and "We do counter-drone," introducing its technologies in a fresh way.
Hyundai Rotem recently spotlighted its mascot "Roky" on YouTube. The video shows Roky, with a white face and blue outfit, interviewing students at a recruitment session held on the Ewha Womans University campus and playing badminton with company club members. There are also scenes of Roky running in front of a K2 tank and boarding a KTX.
A Hyundai Rotem official explained, "Rail and defense, our core businesses, carry a strong masculine and heavy image, so we tried to give off a younger vibe." Visiting a women's university is seen as an effort to shed a male-dominated image.