Man caught serving another's military duty for shared pay

A young man who enlisted to serve another man's mandatory military service on condition of sharing the soldier's salary has been caught by the authorities, marking the first time such an incident has occurred since the establishment of the Military Manpower Administration in 1970.

The man in his late 20s surnamed Jo has been arrested and indicted for violating the Resident Registration Act, the Military Service Act, and for obstructing the performance of official duties through fraud by faking his identity to enlist as another person, according to the Chuncheon District Court on Tuesday.

Investigators found that Jo had agreed to take the place of another man -- surnamed Choi and in his early 20s -- as a conscripted soldier, enlisting as a new recruit at a training center at Hongcheon-gu, Gangwon Province in July. The two men had met online and agreed to the deal on the condition that they would share the wages paid under Choi's name.

Lack of a proper identification check led to Jo serving for nearly three months before Choi turned himself in, in September.

Choi, while not under arrest, is currently under investigation for his part in the crime.

Jo said he agreed to serve instead of Choi because the military provides food, shelter and clothing, and also because the salary for a conscripted soldier is much higher than in the past. It was found that he was discharged from his own military service years ago due to mental health issues.

As of 2024, the monthly wage of a private second class -- the lowest rank in the South Korean military, from which conscripted soldiers start -- is 640,000 won ($470). While this is significantly less than what one could earn on minimum wage, it is nearly five times more than the 129,400 won PV2s were paid in 2015.

In light of the incident, the MMA vowed to apply a stricter verification process for identification. It is mulling the possible adoption of biometric data for accurate identification of the enlistee, such as iris recognition.

South Korea requires all able-bodied men to serve in the military for at least 18 months.

By Yoon Min-sik(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)