President Lee Jae-myung said on Feb. 5 that he is reviewing an expansion of alternative service and an overhaul of the military system in connection with the conscription issue for male science and technology talent. At the Dialogue with Future Scientists event held at the Blue House state guesthouse that day, Lee said, "Because young men, under the same conditions, inevitably face a considerable gap while performing the duty of defense, it can become a source of various conflicts and there may also be aspects that feel unfair," unveiling plans to reform the system.
In response to a student's suggestion that there should be opportunities to gain research experience even during service, Lee asked, "There are quite a few alternative service tracks in science and technology, and you are saying we should expand them, right?" Ha Jung-woo, senior secretary to the president for AI future planning at the Blue House, said, "We are talking with the Military Manpower Administration, and the Minister of the Ministry of National Defense is also forward-leaning," adding, "We will organize this matter and make a separate announcement." Lee then said, "We are reviewing an expansion (of alternative service)," and added, "On top of that, we are thinking of radically changing the military itself."
Specifically, the plan is to restructure the system so that conscripts can learn advanced weapon-related technologies during their service. Lee said, "If the military has so far been centered on troop numbers and infantry, it has now become entirely a competition of equipment and weapons," adding, "Troops should be trained as experts, and it is not a matter of headcount." He continued, "We intend to make the time in service an opportunity to learn advanced weapons systems and equipment, and advanced technologies."
In particular, Lee also proposed establishing a research unit within the military, rather than alternative service. On this, Ha said, "It would be a unit where actual researchers gather, and we are reviewing a plan under which they would conduct experiments as well as implementation and operations," and Lee burst into laughter, saying, "Our 'Ha GPT' (referring to Ha) knows everything even before he says it."