Objection to military promotion cuts

[Anchor]

These days, parents of soldiers preparing to enlist are reportedly very worried.

As the Ministry of National Defense has decided to abolish the automatic promotion system from Private First Class to Corporal, or from Corporal to Sergeant, a heated debate has arisen.

Reporter Choi Young-yoon has the story.

[Report]

The current minimum service period for soldiers by rank is 2 months for Private, and 6 months each for Private First Class and Corporal.

Most soldiers were promoted after completing these periods, and even if they failed the promotion evaluation, they would be automatically promoted after 2 months.

However, starting last month, the 'automatic promotion' for Corporal and Sergeant has been eliminated.

Instead, promotion to Corporal is only possible in the month of discharge, and promotion to Sergeant is only possible on the day of discharge.

In the case of the Army, while promotion from Private to Private First Class still occurs after 2 months, if a soldier fails to be promoted to Corporal, they may serve as a Private First Class for up to 15 months.

[Jeon Ha-kyu/Spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense: "It is essential to possess combat skills and personal capabilities that correspond to the rank. It is a very normal and reasonable measure to grant appropriate ranks to soldiers who meet those qualifications."]

If a soldier continues to fail promotions, they could still be a Private First Class even as a junior becomes a Sergeant.

Some soldiers and parents are concerned about the possibility of mistreatment by juniors who are promoted to higher ranks.

Additionally, there are criticisms that in the current pay system, where Corporals earn 1.2 million won and Sergeants earn 1.5 million won, those who fail to be promoted could receive up to 3.9 million won less by the time they discharge, indicating an intention to reduce expenditures.

In fact, there was a national petition to the National Assembly that stated "They are trying to cover the tax revenue shortfall by cutting salaries," and it garnered over 40,000 signatures in just about ten days.

The Ministry of National Defense explained that those who fail promotion are a small minority lacking physical fitness, and that flexible measures such as special promotions can be applied if there is evaluation of good morale.

This is KBS News, Choi Young-yoon.