Conscription in South Korea has existed since 1957 and requires male citizens between the ages of 18 and 35 to perform

compulsory military service Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day ...

. Women are not required to perform military service, but they may voluntarily join the military.

Establishment

The basis for military conscription in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

is the

Constitution of the Republic of Korea The Constitution of the Republic of Korea () is the supreme law of South Korea. It was promulgated on July 17, 1948, and last revised on October 29, 1987. Background The Provisional Charter of Korea The preamble of the Constitution of Sout ...

, which was promulgated on 17 July 1948. The constitution states in Article 39, "All citizens shall have the duty of national defense under the conditions as prescribed by Act." In addition, the conscription is defined and acted by the "Military Service Act" (병역법). According to the "Military Service Act" Article 3, "Every masculine gender of the Republic of Korea shall faithfully perform mandatory military service, as prescribed by the Constitution of the Republic of Korea and this Act. A feminine gender may perform only active service or reserve service through volunteering" and "Except as provided in this Act, no special case concerning mandatory military service shall be prescribed". Only males being drafted was confirmed by the Constitutional Court of Korea, which declared in 2006 that it is the right of government to decide whoever is subject of the conscription, and hence there is no constitutional error of government decisions. Conscription is managed by the Military Manpower Administration, which was created in 1948.

Enlistment and impairment-disability evaluation

By law, when a South Korean man turns 18 years old, he is enlisted for "first citizen service," meaning he is liable for military duty, but is not yet required to serve. When he turns 19 years old (or, in some instances, 20 years old), he is required to undergo an Impairment & Disability evaluation to determine whether he is suitable for military service. The table below shows the evaluation's possible grades and their outcomes, according to the Military Service Act. Men must enlist by the time they turn 28.

Term of South Korea military service

Certificate Of Military Registration

Military service age

The age standard is from January 1 to December 31 of the year of age. * ■: Age group of Mandatory Military service * ■: Age group of Mandatory Military service in Wartime

History of military service age

1971 to 1984

1984 to 1993

1994 to 2010

Determination criteria of physical grades

There are seven physical grades. Grade name is I, II, III, IV, V, VI and VII. Before 1984 grades name is A, B (respectively B-I, B-II, B-III), C, D and E I, II, III and IV is Accepted, and grades V, VI and VII is Rejected. The criteria for determining the physical grade shall be in accordance with Attached form 2 and 3 of the "Rules for examination of Conscription Physical Examination, etc.( :ko:병역판정 신체검사 등 검사규칙)" Attached form 2 sets the criteria for determining height and weight. Attached form 3 is the evaluation criteria for diseases and mental and physical disabilities, which vary from year to year. In the following criteria, diseases and mental and physical disabilities are described mainly as representative or known.

Disposition for military service by educational background and physical grade

According to Article 14 of the Military Service Act, grades I to IV are based on qualifications (education, age, etc.) and are subject to active service, supplementary, wartime workers, Grade V exemptions, Grade VI exemptions, and Grade VII medical examinations. The criteria for disposing of active duty or supplementary officers in grades I to IV are determined by the Military Manpower Administration's announcement (annual announcement of conscription inspection). According to the announcement, the criteria for military service are as follows. * ■: Active duty (현역, Subject to Enlist for Active duty. Subject to Draft) * ■: Supplementary service (보충역) * ■：Wartime labor service (전시근로역)2nd Militia service or 2nd Citizen service (제2국민역) from before 2016 * ■: Exempted from Military service (병역면제) * ■: Subject to Physical Reexamination (재검사대상)

History of disposition for military service

1950s to 1969

Before the 1970s, the criteria for disposition of active duty and supplementary military service cannot be confirmed due to lack of data at the time.

in 1950 to 1955

* 1950: It was the first year in Republic of Korea that the Conscription was implemented. at that year, due to the limitation of 100,000 troops by the Korean military, the conscription system and Conscription examination were suspended. However, in June of the same year, when the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...

broke out, There was an Unofficial conscription. * 1952: As the Conscription system was Implemented again, Conscription Examination began again.

1956

1957

* The supplementary military service was abolished by the enforcement of the revised Military Service Act from August 1957.

1958 to 1960

* On February 24, 1958, there were Re-examination measures after canceling the judgment on 45,000 Grade C judges in the 1950 to 1957 Conscription examination.

1961

* There was a physical examination of public officials who were judged to be Grade C. * In 1961, there was a physical examination of 128,422 embroidered persons who reported between June 21 and June 30, which was set as the period for reporting embroidery of those who failed to serve in the military.

1962

* Those born on or after January 1, 1930 who have been punished for active service under the Military Service Act enacted before October 1, 1962 and who have not joined the army, will be transferred to the 1st supplementary role and will be supplemented. (Except for those who joined the National Land Construction Team( :ko:국토건설단) in 1961.)

1963 to 1969

* Among those who were examined for conscription in 1962, those who were judged to be Grade B4 and B5 were transferred to Grade C and converted to 2nd Citizen service.

After 1970s

1970

1971

1972

1973

* Middle school Graduated or more ** Grade A, B-I, B-II: Active duty ** Grade B-III: Supplementary service * Elementary school Graduated or more, Middle school Dropout or less ** Grade A: Active duty ** Grade B-I, B-II, B-III: Supplementary service * Elementary school Dropout or less: 2nd Citizen service

1974 to 1976

* College attending or more ** Grade A, B-I, B-II: Active duty ** Grade B-III: Supplementary service * Middle school Graduated or more, High school Dropout or less ** Grade A, B-I: Active duty ** Grade B-II, B-III: Supplementary service * Elementary school Graduated or more, Middle school Dropout or less ** Grade A: Active duty ** Grade B-I, B-II, B-III: Supplementary service

1977 to 1979

* College attending or more ** Grade A, B-I, B-II, B-III: Active duty * High school Graduated or less ** Grade A, B-I: Active duty ** Grade B-II, B-III: Supplementary service * Middle school Dropout or less: 2nd Citizen service

1980 to 1983

* College attending or more **　Grade A, B-I, B-II: Active duty **　Grade B-III: Supplementary service * High school Graduated or less **　Grade A: Active duty **　Grade B-I, II, III: Supplementary service

1984

In 1984, Change of Physical Grade Name. * College attending or more **　Grade I, II, III: Active duty **　Grade IV: Supplementary service * High school Graduated **　Grade I, II: Active duty **　Grade III, IV: Supplementary service * High school Dropout or less **　Grade I: Active duty **　Grade II, III, IV: Supplementary service

1985

1986

1987

* High school Graduated or more **　Grade I, II: Active duty **　Grade III, IV: Supplementary service * High school Dropout or less **　Grade I: Active duty **　Grade II, III, IV: Supplementary service

1988 to 1991

* 1988: Skipped Conscription Examination of Elementary school Graduated or less * 1989: Those aged 25 or older among those graduating from High school will be converted to Supplementary service. * June 1, 1991: High school graduates who are 162 centimeters or less, high school graduates and those who are above university students, and who are Grade II (and III, IV) due to myopia of ophthalmology, will be converted to Supplementary service. (A person who was Conscription examined from 1990) * November 15, 1991: Those who graduated from high school and a Physical grade II will be converted to Supplementary service. (A person who was Conscription examined from 1991) * January 1, 1992: Middle school Dropout or less is Supplementary service. (Exemption from Call of Bangwi)

1992

* Middle school Graduated or more, Physical grade I, II, III, IV: Active duty. But, on October 30 of the same year, it was changed as follows: ** High school Graduated or more, Physical grade III, IV: converted to Supplementary service ** High school Dropout or less, Physical grade I, II, III, IV: converted to Supplementary service

1993

* High school Graduated or more ** Grade I, II, III: Active duty ** Grade IV: Supplementary service * High school Dropout and Middle school Graduated with Grade I, II, III, IV: Supplementary service

1994

* High school Graduated or more with Grade I, II, III, IV: Active duty * High school Dropout ** Grade I: Active duty ** Grade II, III, IV: Supplementary service * Middle school Graduated with Grade I, II, III, IV: Supplementary service

1995 to 1996

* High school Graduated or more ** Grade I, II, III: Active duty ** Grade IV: Supplementary service * Those who graduated from middle school and a Physical grade I, II, III, IV will be converted to Supplementary service from 1996

1997

* High school Dropout or more ** Grade I, II, III: Active duty ** Grade IV: Supplementary service * Middle school Graduated ** Grade I, II, III, IV: Supplementary service * High school Dropout with Physical grade III: converted to Supplementary service from June 2, 1997 * High school Dropout with Physical grade II: converted to Supplementary service from January 1, 1998

1998 to 2003

* High school Graduated or more ** Grade I, II, III: Active duty ** Grade IV: Supplementary service * Middle school Graduated, High school Dropout ** Grade I, II, III, IV: Supplementary service * 1999 to 2011 * Skipped Conscription Examination with Transferred the 2nd Citizen service of Middle school Dropout or less in 1999 to 2011

2004

* Middle school Graduated or more ** Grade I, II, III: Active duty ** Grade IV: Supplementary service

2005

* College attending or more with Grade I, II, III, IV: Active duty * Middle school Graduated and High school Dropout ** Grade I, II, III: Active duty ** Grade IV: Supplementary service

2006 to 2011

* Middle school Graduated or more ** Grade I, II, III: Active duty ** Grade IV: Supplementary service

2012 to 1st half of 2015

* Middle school Graduated or more ** Grade I, II, III: Active duty ** Grade IV: Supplementary service * Middle school Dropout or less with Physical Grade I, II, III, IV: Supplementary service External links
Public Notice of Draft examination in 2014(Military Manpower Administration Public Notice No. 2014-2)

2nd half of 2015 to 2020

* High school Graduated or more ** Grade I, II and III: Active duty ** Grade IV: Supplementary service * High school Dropout of less with Physical grade I, II, III, IV: Supplementary service External links * (Korean)''
Public Notice of Draft examination in 2016(Military Manpower Administration Public Notice No. 2016-3)
* (Korean)''
Public Notice of Draft examination in 2017(Military Manpower Administration Public Notice No. 2017-1)
* (Korean)''
Public Notice of Draft examination in 2018(Military Manpower Administration Public Notice No. 2018-1)
* (Korean)''
Public Notice of Draft examination in 2019(Military Manpower Administration Public Notice No. 2019-1)
* (Korean)''
Public Notice of Draft examination in 2020(Military Manpower Administration Public Notice No. 2020-1)

Service types and length

Grade 1, 2, 3 and 4: those are suitable for military service (현역)

The length of compulsory military service in South Korea varies based on military branch. Active duty soldiers serve 1 year 6 months in the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

or Marine Corps, 1 year 8 months in the

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...

, or 1 year 9 months in the

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...

. After conscripts finish their military service, they are automatically placed on the reserve roster and are obligated to attend 3 days of annual military training for 6 years (5 years from 2021). Non-active duty personnel, or "supplemental service" personnel serve for various lengths: 1 year 9 months for social work personnel (better known as public service workers - personnel ordered to do public service work at places that require auxiliary workers such as local community centers like city halls, government agencies, and public facilities like subway stations); 2 years 10 months for arts and sports personnel or industrial technical personnel; and 3 years for public health doctors, lawyers, veterinarians, or expert researchers. In 2010, there was growing public pressure to either shorten the length of conscription or to switch to voluntary military service, and calls from experts for a gradual phasing out of conscription rather than complete abolition. However, in December 2010, after taking into consideration of the 2010 ROKS ''Cheonan'' sinking and Bombardment of Yeonpyeong incidents, the South Korean government said it would not reduce service periods.

Grade 4: those are unsuitable for the military service (보충역)

Art-sports personnel (예술체육요원)

Artists and players who have won government accredited competitions are allowed to work as 'Art-Sports personnel (예술체육요원)'. After a month of military training, Art-Sports service agents work through their specialties to finish their military services; e.g. in professional sports teams, art galleries, museums or orchestra bands. Unlike other service agents who are working at factories, farms, universities, institutes or nursing homes, Art-Sports service agents are allowed to work abroad. Former president

Park Chung-hee Park Chung-hee (, ; 14 November 1917 – 26 October 1979) was a South Korean politician and army general who served as the dictator of South Korea from 1961 until his assassination in 1979; ruling as an unelected military strongman from 1961 ...

introduced exemptions for athletes in 1973 in an effort to win more medals for the country; some historians believe the athletics also served as a distraction against the government's unpopularity. After winning a gold medal at the

1976 Summer Olympics Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 ...

, wrestler Yang Jung-mo was granted the first exemption. In the 1980s, president

Chun Doo-hwan Chun Doo-hwan (; or ; 18 January 1931 – 23 November 2021) was a South Korean army general and military dictator who ruled as an unelected strongman from 1979 to 1980 before replacing Choi Kyu-hah as president of South Korea from 1980 to 198 ...

promised exemptions to any athlete who won a medal in either the

1986 Asian Games The 1986 Asian Games ( ko, 1986년 아시아 경기대회/1986년 아시안 게임, Cheon gubaek palsip-yuk nyeon Asia gyeonggi daehoe/Cheon gubaek palsip-yuk nyeon Asian Geim), officially known as the 10th Asian Games and the X Asiad ( ko, 제10� ...

or the

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...

. When South Korea co-hosted the

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament has ...

in 2002, their national team was guaranteed an exemption if they reached the round of 16; the same promise was made to the national baseball team in 2006 if the team reached semifinals in the

World Baseball Classic The World Baseball Classic (WBC) is an international baseball tournament sanctioned from 2006 to 2013 by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) and after 2013 by World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) in partnership with Major Leagu ...

. Public outrage ensued, and similar exemptions have been rarely granted since. Current conscription regulations stipulate that athletes who win medals in the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a multi ...

or gold medals in the

Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until t ...

are granted exemptions from military service and are placed in Grade 4. They are required to do four weeks of basic military training and engage in sports field for 42 months. After that, they are automatically placed on the reserve roster, and are obligated to attend a few days of annual military training for six years. In practice, after athletes finish their four weeks of basic military training, they are able to continue their own sports career during the 34 months of duty. The policy has resulted in coaches being accused of selecting players desperate to avoid military service instead of choosing the best athletes. Parents encourage their children to pursue sports in hopes of them receiving an exemption. Notable athletes who have been granted exemptions from military service are the bronze medal-winning

football team A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an all-s ...

at the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, th ...

, 2008 Olympic gold medalist badminton player

Lee Yong-dae Lee Yong-dae (Hangul: 이용대; Hanja: 李龍大; ; born 11 September 1988) is a professional badminton player from South Korea who had been successful in both men's and mixed doubles. He reached world number 1 ranking with 4 different partners, ...

, swimmer Park Tae-hwan, 2014 Asian Games gold medalist tennis player Chung Hyeon, 2018 Asian Games gold medalist footballer

Son Heung-min Son Heung-min ( ko, 손흥민; ; born 8 July 1992) is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and captains the South Korea national team. Considered one of the best forward ...

, and 2018 Asian Games gold medalist baseball player Lee Jung-hoo. Esport competitors are not exempt from conscription. A total of 220 exemptions were granted from 2008 to 2018. Exemptions are also granted to classical musicians and

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form ...

performers who win first place in stipulated international-level competitions. A two year extension for notable K-pop artists (from a law that was passed in December 2020) could also be given by government for their career, the age for joining military is 30 (which previously was 28). Some resources and media outlets claim that the primary reason for this amendment was singer-songwriter Kim Seok-jin, who, at the time, was about to turn 28. As his group BTS has had a huge impact (especially in the music industry) worldwide and contributed greatly to the spread of the

Korean culture The traditional culture of Korea is the shared cultural and historical heritage of Korea and southern Manchuria before the division of Korea in 1945. Manchuria refers to the ancient geographical and historical region in Northeast Asia, includ ...

and '' Hallyu Wave'', exemptions for them were in talks for a few years. Despite this, BTS's record label, Big Hit, announced on October 17, 2022 that Kim Seok-jin withdrew his enlistment deferral request and will be the first in the group to enter into mandatory military service, with other members of BTS to be enlisted on a later date.

Conscientious objection

The right to conscientious objection was not recognized in South Korea until recently. Over 400 men were typically imprisoned at any given time for refusing military service for political or religious reasons in the years before right to conscientious objection was established. On 28 June 2018, the South Korean Constitutional Court ruled the Military Service Act unconstitutional and ordered the government to accommodate civilian forms of military service for conscientious objectors. Later that year on 1 November 2018, the South Korean Supreme Court legalized conscientious objection as a basis for rejecting compulsory military service.

Salary and benefits

Salary per month in 2017 Salary per month in 2021

Equipment

The Ministry of National Defense has revealed that it failed to provide

sneakers Sneakers (also called trainers, athletic shoes, tennis shoes, gym shoes, kicks, sport shoes, flats, running shoes, or runners) are shoes primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise, but which are now also widely used fo ...

to 7,411 recruits who joined the military from 22 May to 4 June 2012, after the budget was insufficient for need. The Defense ministry originally projected the cost of each pair of sneakers to be 11,000 KRW. However, the actual cost turned out to be 15,000 KRW. The office of

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the r ...

member Kim Kwang-jin of

Democratic United Party The Democratic Party (; DP), formerly the Democratic United Party (; DUP) until 2013, was a liberal political party in South Korea, and for the duration of its existence the country's main opposition force. On 15 December 2011, the Democrati ...

revealed that cadets in Korea Military Academy were provided with sneakers worth 60,000 KRW and tennis shoes. Cadets in

Korea Army Academy at Yeongcheon Korea Army Academy (Yeongcheon) or KAAY is a military academy of the Republic of Korea Army for training officer cadets. Commonly known as "Choongsungdae" ( ko, 충성대, Hanja: 忠誠臺) as a reference to its loyalty and devotion to the countr ...

were provided with sneakers worth 64,250 KRW, in addition to running shoes and soccer shoes.

Dual citizens

For dual citizens, or those with multiple citizenships, male South Koreans must choose their citizenship by the time they turn 18, before 31 March of that year. If these males choose to revoke their South Korean citizenship, they will not be required to complete their mandatory military service. However, if they fail to choose their citizenship by their 18th year, they will be subjected to fulfill their mandatory military service and, for those who wish to maintain their multiple citizenships, an oath not to exert foreign nationality within two years since finishing their military service. If males choose to renounce their citizenship by their 18th year, they are ineligible to gain a South Korean work visa (F series) until after they turn 40 years of age. It may still be possible to gain an E series visa. There have been cases of Koreans abroad (e.g. Korean Americans) being forced to serve in the military, as they were unaware they were actually citizens of South Korea. This happens when these people visit South Korea. One cause of this is the inadvertent inclusion on the family register.

Controversies

Violation of Forced Labour Convention

The Forced Labour Convention explicitly excludes "any work or service exacted in virtue of compulsory military service laws for work of a purely military character" from its scope. However,

ILO The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and ol ...

defines conscription of non-military purpose as forced labour. According to ILO, South Korean conscription violates the forced labour convention, because South Korea enrolls men with disabilities for non-military purposes. Majority (+90%) of the "Reserve - class 4 -" works as "social service agent (사회복무요원)", and work with wages far less than the minimum legal wage at various fields including government offices, subway stations, tax offices, post offices and sanitarium. In April 2021, South Korea ratified the Forced Labour Convention. But the conscription of South Korea did not change. South Korea changed its conscription law by providing "right to decide to be enrolled" to "reserve - class 4 -. those with minor disabilities". South Korea claims that this change makes the conscription legitimate because "reserve - class 4-" now have right to decide their methods of conscription between soldiers with active duty and "social service agents". However, ILO informed that enforcing "reserve - class 4-" to work as "social service agent" is a violation of the Forced Labour Convention in a number of their annual reports.

Hazing

Lowering standards of acceptance

In recent years, the South Korean government is preparing a policy to lower conscription standards for mental and physical conditions that would previously be considered exempt, as it fears that the nation's low birthrate will lead to fewer conscripts. South Korea in 2021 has the lowest fertility rate in the world, a title also bestowed on the country the previous year. However, experts warn that such actions will lead to wider problems already present in the military, by recruiting personnel who would not be able to adapt to the closed military.

Draft evasion

In general, the South Korean public tends to be intolerant towards men who attempt to evade mandatory military service or receive special treatment, especially if they are exploiting family wealth or political connections. Draft evasion is a punishable crime, but many entertainers, athletes, politicians and their children are known to have fabricated medical or other reasons to seek exemption from military service. According to a 2017 report by the Military Manpower Administration, the most common evasion tactic was extreme weight loss or gain (37%), followed by fabrication of mental illness (23.7%), and deliberate full-body tattoos (20.3%). Studying abroad or migrating overseas to obtain foreign citizenship are considered the preferred option for sons in wealthy families, while nearly a hundred high-ranking politicians including sitting members of the National Assembly have managed to arrange unexplained exemptions for their sons. These cases of draft evasion are to be distinguished from conscientious objection on political or religious grounds.

Yoo Seung-jun (Steve Yoo)

In 2002, right before South Korean pop singer Yoo Seung-jun was due to be drafted for his military service, he became a naturalized U.S. citizen. He was born in Seoul and migrated to the United States at the age of 13. The

South Korean government The Government of South Korea is the union government of the Republic of Korea, created by the Constitution of South Korea as the executive, legislative and judicial authority of the republic. The president acts as the head of state and is th ...

considered it an act of

desertion Desertion is the abandonment of a military duty or Military base, post without permission (a Pass (military), pass, Shore leave, liberty or Leave (U.S. military), leave) and is done with the intention of not returning. This contrasts with u ...

and deported him, banning him from entering the country permanently. In February 2017, Yoo lost his second and final appeal regarding his entry ban which prohibited him from entry and any further appeals. However, citing procedural irregularities, the South Korean Supreme Court re-opened the case in July 2019 and sent the case to the Seoul High Court, ordering them to retry Yoo's case. In November 2019, the appeals court reversed the ban, paving the way for Yoo to return to the country, pending approval of a visa. One of Yoo's visa requests was denied in July 2020 by the Los Angeles Consulate, citing Korean law that allows discretion in denying visas to applicants that "posed a threat to public interest."

References

External links

* South Korea'
Military Service Act
(in English)
Military Manpower Administration official website
{{Asia in topic, Conscription in Law enforcement in South Korea Military of South Korea

Unfree labour