▲ This file photo, provided by the Navy on Jan. 27, 2023, shows enlisted sailors attending a ceremony marking the end of their basic training at the Naval Education & Training Command in Changwon, 398 kilometers southeast of Seoul. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Navy-enlistment policy

Navy to reduce seaborne duty requirement to attract new recruits

SEOUL, March 9 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Navy plans to shorten enlisted service members' seaborne duty requirement by two months on a trial basis in an effort to attract new recruits, officials said Thursday.

It unveiled the plan as part of "special measures" to boost enlistment amid concerns that the Navy could face a staffing challenge due to the prospects of a troop shortfall caused by the nation's low birthrate, and aspiring sailors' lingering aversion to ship-based service.

The Navy plans to reduce the current mandatory six-month ship duty to four months for enlistees starting service in June, the officials said.

It plans to decide whether to keep the measure in place permanently after running it on a trial basis until October 2024.

In addition to the measure, the armed service plans to reduce enlistees' six-week basic training period to five weeks.

In South Korea, all able-bodied men are required to serve in the military for about two years.

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