Army NCO recruitment rate plummets below 50% over last five years

As working conditions for junior military officers continue to deteriorate, the recruitment rate for Army noncommissioned officers (NCOs) has plunged to less than half over the past five years, according to data on Wednesday.

Junior military officers salute during an appointment ceremony at the Korean Army's training school in Gwangju, Gyeonggi, on Aug. 29. [NEWS1]

As working conditions for junior military officers continue to deteriorate, the recruitment rate for Army noncommissioned officers (NCOs) has plunged to less than half over the past five years, according to data on Wednesday.

The Army’s NCO recruitment rate dropped from 95 percent in 2020 to 42 percent last year — the lowest among all branches, according to data submitted by the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps to Democratic Party Rep. Hwang Hee of the National Assembly’s Defense Committee.

Last year, the Army had a target of 8,100 new NCOs but filled only 3,400 positions.

Over the same period, the Navy’s NCO recruitment rate fell from 90 percent to 55 percent, the Air Force from 100 percent to 69 percent, and the Marine Corps from 98 percent to 76 percent.

While recruiting new personnel has stalled, experienced officers are also leaving at higher rates. Over the past five years, the number of mid- to long-term service members discharged rose from 6,877 in 2020 to 9,523 last year — a 38.5 percent increase.

Voluntary discharge requests, excluding retirement and honorable discharge, also rose steadily from 3,154 to 5,506 over the same period.

In particular, the number of Army NCOs applying for voluntary discharge more than doubled, from 1,147 in 2020 to 2,480 last year. The figure for Navy NCOs also rose from 228 to 615.

“With conscript recruitment already facing challenges due to troop reductions, any further erosion of the officer corps risks creating serious gaps in combat power and the command structure,” Hwang said. “We must fully redesign our personnel management system, including improving working conditions, overhauling service environments and reforming promotion structures.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY JEONG JAE-HONG [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]