South Korea's military strength has dropped below 500000 for the first time, and the fertility rate continues to decline in society | South Korea | Fertility rate
According to South Korean media reports on July 23, due to the low birth rate, the number of South Korean military personnel has dropped below 500000 for the first time last year, after dropping to below 600000 in 2018.
According to a report released on the 23rd by senior research committee member of the South Korean Defense Research Institute, Cho Kuan ho, Yonhap News Agency reported that as of the end of 2022, the actual strength of the South Korean military was 480000.
The South Korean military strength was 690000 at the end of 2002, and remained above 600000 until 2017. It decreased to 570000 in 2018 and 510000 in 2021. According to the "2023-2027 National Defense Mid term Plan" released by the South Korean Ministry of Defense in December last year, the military plans to maintain a standing force of 500000 personnel by 2027. However, Zhao Kuanhao believes that if the current military service system is maintained, the standing military strength at the end of each year for the next ten years can only be maintained at about 470000 people.
According to Yonhap News Agency, there is a correlation between the decrease in the number of active duty officers and soldiers and the decrease in service personnel caused by low fertility rates. To maintain a standing force of 500000, 220000 soldiers need to be conscripted annually. However, according to population data, the National Defense Research Institute predicts that the number of 20-year-old male soldiers in South Korea will decline to below 220000 from 2036 and sharply decrease to 120000 by 2042.
In recent years, the phenomenon of late marriage and non marriage in Korean society has gradually increased, and the fertility rate has been continuously decreasing. The total fertility rate in South Korea, which is the average number of children born per woman of childbearing age, has dropped to 0.78 for five consecutive years. This is the lowest since the start of relevant statistics in 1970 and far below the 2.1 required to ensure population stability in South Korea.