Politics · South Korea · 3 hrs ago
South Korea’s Army faces a sharp fall in junior noncommissioned officers
South Korean defence ministry figures show the number of junior sergeants fell 36.5% from 2021 to 2025.
These sergeants are junior noncommissioned officers, and the figures include fixed-term personnel.
Recruitment rates dropped from 91.5% in 2021 to 61% in 2025, after falling to about half in 2024.
The decline was concentrated among sergeants: they made up 87.2% of the drop in junior officers and noncommissioned officers.
The pay gap with enlisted soldiers has narrowed: in 2026, a new sergeant’s basic monthly pay was 2.13 million won, compared with 1.5 million won for a senior enlisted soldier.
The defence ministry estimates a new sergeant’s annual take-home pay at about 41 million won, including overtime and duty payments.
Lawmakers warn shortages could affect command and readiness and have called for better basic pay, working conditions and long-term service opportunities; no specific measures were announced.
South Korea’s junior noncommissioned officer workforce fell by 36.5% from 2021 to 2025, according to figures submitted by the Defense Ministry.
The number of sergeants, including fixed-term noncommissioned officers, dropped from about 43,000 to about 27,300.
Sergeants made up 87.2% of the decline in the combined workforce of junior officers and noncommissioned officers.
Noncommissioned officer recruitment fell from 91.5% in 2021 to 50.1% in 2024, then rose to 61.0% in 2025.
Lawmakers and reports point to the narrowing pay gap between soldiers and junior sergeants as one reason young people are less willing to join.
- Who
- South Korea’s Army and its junior noncommissioned officers, particularly sergeants.
- What
- The number of sergeants fell sharply, and recruitment rates remained low.
- When
- The figures cover 2021 to 2025; the reports were published on October 27 and 28, 2026.
- Where
- South Korea.
- Why
- Reports point to a narrowing pay gap with enlisted soldiers and the greater responsibilities and workload of noncommissioned officers.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The Army had about 43,000 sergeants, and the noncommissioned officer recruitment rate was 91.5%.
The noncommissioned officer recruitment rate fell to 50.1%.
The number of sergeants was about 27,300, and the recruitment rate was 61.0%.
The reports said a new sergeant’s monthly base pay was 2.133 million won and a private first class’s monthly base pay was 1.5 million won.
The reports were published, citing data provided by the Defense Ministry to lawmaker Min Hong-cheol.
- Sergeants
- About 43,000 in 2021; about 27,300 in 2025
- Sergeant workforce decline
- 15,700, or 36.5%, from 2021 to 2025
- Share of junior-officer decline
- Sergeants accounted for 87.2% of the total decline
- Recruitment rate
- 50.1% in 2024; 61.0% in 2025
- Monthly base pay, 2026
- Sergeant: 2.133 million won; private first class: 1.5 million won
3 sources
What people are saying
The weight of the decline in personnel is not in departures, but in commissioning—in other words, the stage of new inflows.
If we cannot secure enough noncommissioned officers, who are the backbone of the military, there could be serious disruption to field command and military readiness.
Rather than emphasizing total compensation that includes duty and overtime pay, we need to make base pay realistic in line with junior officers’ responsibilities and workload.