More than 9,000 officers and non-commissioned officers will be discharged in 2023 alone.

(1)9,000 military officers discharged…’Defense waist’ stumbles
(2)Entered 2024.05.24. 6:25 PM. Modified 2024.05.24. 9:23 PM Original article
(3)Jo Cheol-oh and 2 others v
(4)1) Gaga ②
(5)Exodus of executives… Army with a collapsed ecosystem
(6)Last year, 43% of soldiers discharged from military service, a record high, were in their 20s or 30s at the rank of captain or sergeant.
(7)“Relative deprivation only for soldiers.”
(8)Last year, the number of executives with more than five years of experience who left the military exceeded 9,000 for the first time, a record high. A division-level military executive chose to be discharged. In particular, those who were discharged from mid-level field positions with 5 to 10 years of experience accounted for the largest proportion at 43%. There are concerns that the military’s ecosystem of supply and demand for executive manpower will be completely shaken by the unprecedented ‘escape rush’ of executives below the rank of lieutenant, sergeant, and captain, which are the basis of combat power, coupled with the lack of recruitment of entry-level officers.
(9)According to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs on the 24th, there were 9,481 officers, junior officers, and non-commissioned officers discharged in 2023. It increased by 24.1% from the previous year (7,639 people). The departure of mid-term service officers with 5 to 10 years of experience is notable. Last year, 4,061 people left the military. This is a 35.4% increase compared to the previous year (2,999 people), putting the military’s manpower management on edge. These executives, most of whom are in their 20s and 30s, are serious in that they are the core force responsible for field combat power by working with soldiers in the field and future resources that will grow into high-ranking executives. Recently, it has been reported that the Army’s mechanized infantry divisions on the front lines are experiencing difficulties in operating weapon systems as well as disruptions in training due to non-commissioned officers leaving the line.
(10)It is analyzed that the reason why mid-term service members of the MZ generation are leaving the military is due to a combination of factors such as the wage gap with private companies that has widened over the past 2 to 3 years and a sense of relative deprivation due to poor living and working environments. The salary of a sergeant, which will rise to 1.5 million won next year, is similar to the salary of a first sergeant after taxes. An Air Force non-commissioned officer confessed, “Rather than working for the same salary as now, an increasing number of my colleagues are looking for jobs such as logistics security after being discharged.”
(11)Kim Eui-sik, a professor of military studies at Yongin University, pointed out, “Middle-level executives who endured poor treatment during their entry-level career are leaving the Navy because they can no longer bear it.”