[Edaily Reporter kim kwanyong ] Opinions have been raised that the government should begin seriously considering a “gender-neutral conscription system”—which would include women in the draft—to address the decline in the military-age population caused by the low birth rate. While the government reaffirmed its official stance that it is not currently considering mandatory military service for women, it agreed that building public consensus and making gradual preparations to expand women’s military service are necessary.

Hong So-young, Commissioner of the Military Manpower Administration, stated during a National Assembly Defense Committee audit held at the Daejeon Military Manpower Administration office on the 12th, in response to a question about whether the government was considering mandatory military service for women, “The official position of the Military Manpower Administration and the Ministry of National Defense is that we are not currently considering it.”

However, Director Hong explained, “Given the rapidly declining population, particularly after 2040, we intend to begin building public consensus on the importance of fulfilling military service obligations starting now.” She added, “Rather than suddenly introducing mandatory military service for women, the Ministry of National Defense and the Military Manpower Administration are currently working to build consensus and prepare for this by gradually increasing the proportion of female officers.”

During the parliamentary audit that day, Rep. Yoo Young-ha of the People Power Party argued, “The commonality among Israel, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark is that they include women in their conscription,” adding, “It is now time to put mandatory military service for women on the table.” He emphasized, “Various preparations, such as reorganizing military units, will be necessary for women to serve in the military,” and stated, “I believe it is time for the government to put this on the table for review.”

Rep. Cheon Ha-ram of the Reform Party also urged discussions on reforming the system, using the term “gender-neutral conscription”—which implies imposing military service obligations on both men and women—rather than “mandatory military service for women.” Rep. Cheon pointed out, “Starting in 2035, the population of 20-year-old men will decline sharply, falling to around 140,000 by 2040 and to 120,000 by around 2043,” adding, “This trend will not change even if we start having more children now.”

In particular, Rep. Cheon also raised the issue of the government’s passive stance toward considering the imposition of military service obligations on orphans, naturalized citizens, and North Korean defectors, as well as toward expanding the pool of specialized research personnel. He questioned, “If we continue to squeeze a dry towel without even considering the option of universal conscription, is this truly desirable in terms of combat capability or the national interest?”

In response, Commissioner Hong stated, “I believe that social discussion and the formation of a national consensus are most important regarding the conscription of women,” and replied that he “partially agrees” with the need to review the system.