Having More Children Could Exempt South Korean Men From Military Service. Here's Why
NDTV
The move is seen as the South Korean government's effort to boost the nation's ailing birth rate.
South Korea maintains a strict policy of mandatory military service, which requires all able-bodied men between the ages of 18 and 28 to serve in the armed forces for about 18 to 21 months. However, there might be a new exemption to the rule. According to a report in TIME, authorities might exempt men from the mandatory service if they have three or more babies before they turn 30.
The move is seen as the South Korean government's effort to boost the nation's ailing birth rate. Last month, the country recorded the world's lowest fertility rate with the number falling to a new low.
On March 22, the South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo reported that the ruling conservative People Power party is looking into unconventional means of increasing births. Though these plans have not been finalised, they are currently being reviewed.
Cho Kyu-suk, a coordinator at the Seoul-based Center for Military Human Rights in Korea, told TIME that the proposal would create an incentive for young men, and might also remove a barrier to more births.
