The outline is to retain the country's decades-old mandatory military service system while giving military-age men greater choice between serving as enlisted conscripts and pursuing a longer-term, technology-focused noncommissioned officer (NCO) track, the Defense Ministry said Thursday.
The ministry's clarification came a day after President Lee Jae Myung renewed his call for a "selective volunteer service" system aimed at reducing reliance on short-term conscripts and increasing the number of professional personnel.
In response to a question from AJP at a regular briefing, a ministry spokesperson said the proposal would not amount to a full transition to an all-volunteer force.
"While maintaining the current conscription system, we are reviewing ways to expand the choice between serving as an enlisted soldier and serving as an NCO," the spokesperson said. "That is the basic concept of the selective volunteer service system."
South Korea requires most able-bodied men to complete military service, reflecting a security environment in which the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty. Active-duty conscripts currently serve 18 months in the Army or Marine Corps, 20 months in the Navy and 21 months in the Air Force.
The conscription system has long supplied the bulk of South Korea's rank-and-file troops. But the pool of eligible recruits is shrinking because of the country's low birth rate, prompting debate over how the military can maintain its strength while relying more heavily on career personnel and advanced technology.
Under the proposed system, men subject to mandatory service would still be required to join the military but could choose between regular enlisted service and a longer-term track as specialized NCOs.
The ministry plans to gradually expand what it calls "technology-intensive NCO" positions as the military restructures around artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies.
The positions are expected to cover areas such as manned-unmanned combat systems, cyber operations and artificial intelligence, where personnel require more extensive training and longer service than ordinary conscripts.
The ministry is also designing programs to help personnel translate the technical skills acquired during military service into civilian careers after discharge.
South Korea imposes compulsory military service only on men, unlike a handful of countries, including Norway, Sweden and Denmark, that operate gender-neutral conscription systems.
The unequal burden has long fueled frustration among some young men, who often describe military service as time taken away from university, job preparation or the early stages of their careers.
Economic incentives are also under consideration to encourage more eligible recruits to choose the specialized NCO track, the spokesperson said.
Lee outlined the broader concept Wednesday during a visit to a Marine Corps unit on Yeonpyeong Island near the western maritime border with North Korea.
The proposal forms part of Seoul's broader effort to respond to the shrinking pool of military-age men while transforming the armed forces into a smaller, more technology-driven military.
The demographic pressure is already becoming evident. According to population projections by Statistics Korea, the number of 20-year-old men is expected to fall from 334,000 in 2020 to 236,000 in 2025, a decline of nearly 30 percent in five years.
The longer-term outlook remains challenging despite a recent rebound in births. South Korea's total fertility rate rose to 0.80 in 2025 from 0.75 a year earlier, while the number of births increased 6.8 percent to 254,500.
Of those born last year, 130,800 were boys, accounting for about 51.4 percent of all births. That cohort will reach the typical age for military service in the mid-2040s, and the number ultimately available for active duty will be smaller after health classifications and alternative forms of service are taken into account.
A 2025 study by the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses projected that, if current service periods and personnel policies remain unchanged, the military would be able to maintain only about 160,000 to 170,000 enlisted personnel by 2040. Compared with the current level, that would represent a decline of roughly 100,000 to 110,000 troops, or about 40 percent.
Still, the plan faces significant hurdles. Its success will depend on whether the military can attract and retain enough qualified NCOs at a time when applications for junior leadership positions are already declining, as well as whether the government can sustain the higher pay, training and benefits needed to make longer service attractive.
A poorly managed transition could leave units short of experienced personnel before professional troops and new technologies are ready to compensate for fewer conscripts. Key details of the selective volunteer service system remain under review.
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