While departures among mid-level officers and noncommissioned officers, who serve as the backbone of our military, are on the rise, new officer recruitment is declining.
According to data submitted by the Ministry of National Defense to the office of Rep. Yoo Yong-won of the People Power Party, a member of the National Defense Committee of the National Assembly, on the 12th, the number of voluntary separations and leaves of absence among noncommissioned officers and officers with 10 or more but less than 20 years of service hit an all-time high last year since the military's founding.
The number of personnel seeking voluntary separation increased from 960 in 2021 to 1,301 in 2022, 1,495 in 2023, and 1,821 last year, and as of the end of last month this year, a total of 1,327 mid-level officers and noncommissioned officers had applied for voluntary separation.
The number of people on leave also surged from 2,252 in 2021 to 2,612 in 2022, 3,068 in 2023, and 3,412 last year. This year, 3,401 people were tallied as having taken leave as of the end of last month.
By contrast, over the past five years, new commissions for noncommissioned officers in each service have declined from about 10,550 in 2021 to about 6,750 last year. As of the end of last month this year, about 4,900 noncommissioned officers were newly commissioned.
New Army officer commissions from ROTC, the Korea Military Academy, and the Korea Army Academy at Yeongcheon also decreased from about 4,860 in 2021 to about 4,780 in 2022, about 4,580 in 2023, about 3,980 last year, and about 3,710 this year.
Rep. Yoo said, "The exodus of junior and mid-career officers remains in acceleration in the second half of this year," adding, "It is a warning signal that shows a serious crack across the military's personnel structure, and we must swiftly prepare comprehensive and effective measures, including investing resources to boost morale and improving the personnel system."