Next year's salaries for commissioned officers and sergeants will increase by up to 6.6%. A new 'preparing for tomorrow savings account' will be established to assist long-term service members in building their assets, and the duty allowance for officers will be increased by 50%.
On the 29th, the government reviewed and approved the 2026 budget proposal reflecting this defense budget during the Cabinet meeting.
Next year's defense budget focuses on improving the treatment of junior officers. In the past, junior officers had a relatively longer mandatory service period compared to enlisted soldiers, but welfare conditions, including salary, were good, maintaining the application rate. However, as the salary levels for enlisted soldiers have increased significantly in recent times, the number of hopeful candidates has sharply decreased.
As a result, concerns are being raised that the quality of junior officers, who are responsible for managing personnel and training, will decline, which could lower the morale and combat effectiveness of the military.
Therefore, the government has decided to raise the salaries of junior officers by up to 6.6%. This will be achieved by adding the basic salary increase rate of 3.5% for public officials to a special increase rate of 3.1% for junior officers, resulting in a total increase of 6.6%. If this increase rate is applied, the salary for a second lieutenant at the first step, which was 202,000 won this year, is expected to rise to 215,000 won, an increase of about 130,000 won.
A 'preparing for tomorrow savings account' will also be established for officers to encourage enlisted soldiers to save, helping them prepare funds for social advancement after their discharge. If a long-term service junior officer joins the savings plan with a monthly deposit of 300,000 won, 300,000 won will be matched for a total of 1,080,000 won over three years.
The duty allowance will also be increased. Currently, officers receive 20,000 won on weekdays and 40,000 won on holidays, but this will be raised to 30,000 won on weekdays and 60,000 won on holidays.
To enhance the welfare of enlisted soldiers, the meal allowance, which has been frozen for three years, will be increased. Currently, the daily meal allowance for soldiers is set at 13,000 won; starting next year, it will be raised to 14,000 won.
The new combat uniforms that were mainly supplied to frontline units will be distributed to all units, and the replacement of old combat vehicles with new models will also be promoted.
The budget for military enhancement has also been significantly expanded. This year's military enhancement budget, which stood at 1.8 trillion won, will be increased by 77.8% to 3.2 trillion won next year. The budget for the development and production of Korea's advanced fighter jet 'Boramae (KF-21)' has been included. The budget for artificial intelligence, drones, and robots in preparation for future warfare will also be increased from 500 billion won to 800 billion won, a 60% increase.