Korea Herald-July 30

The recently finalized military reform plan causes concern about the weakening of defense. According to “Defense Reform 2.0” reported to President Moon Jae-in on Friday, the current 618,000-strong military will be downsized to 500,000 by 2022, shedding 118,000 troops from the Army. The length of mandatory service for Army draftees will be shortened from the current 21 months to 18 months by 2022. Given the low birthrate, military strength is bound to shrink. At the same time North Korea has completed nuclear and missile programs. If the service term is curtailed in this situation, one cannot but worry about the nation’s defense capabilities.

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First published in: Korea Herald