December 9, 2025
SEOUL – More than half of university students say they would apply to become military officers only if the starting salary were between 40 million won ($27,200) and 50 million won, according to survey results recently released by the Republic of Korea Army. The findings come as voluntary departures among junior officers continue to hit record highs, raising concerns about the stability of the armed forces’ personnel structure.
The data was presented Sunday at the Army’s development conference, based on a March survey of 1,301 students at nine universities nationwide. In the survey, 61 percent of respondents said they would consider applying to become officers only if starting pay fell within the 40-50 million won range — far higher than the roughly 30 million won currently earned annually by first-year staff sergeants.
The survey also found that 91.4 percent of university students viewed current military officer pay as “lower than that of the private sector despite being a profession of valuable contribution to the nation.”
“Students tend to avoid applying not because of the nature of the work, but because of the low salary,” said Park Hyo-seon, a military studies professor at Cheongju University who co-led the research. Park noted that this trend helps explain why 86 percent of the 2,869 officers and NCOs who left active duty in the first half of this year were mid-career personnel.
A separate survey of 2,128 junior Army officers, also disclosed at the conference, revealed deep dissatisfaction within the ranks. Only 12.29 percent said they were satisfied with military service, while 70.5 percent said they would move to the private sector “immediately if given the opportunity.” Experts warned that without urgent reforms, the exodus of junior officers will be difficult to reverse. Among the proposals raised was adopting the US Defense Department’s Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation system, which regularly adjusts military salaries to reflect civilian pay trends.
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Kim Gyu-ha, who attended the conference along with 300 officers, said the event offered a “meaningful opportunity to seriously examine compensation issues within the Army,” adding that the discussions would be shared with internal policymakers and the National Assembly.
Students’ salary expectations reflect broader trends in the civilian labor market. According to recruitment platform Incruit, job seekers entering the workforce in 2025 expect an average starting salary of 41.4 million won, surpassing last year’s national average entry-level wage of 36.75 million won.
The disparity is even greater at large companies. Firms with 300 or more employees offer an average starting salary of 50.01 million won, while small and medium-sized companies provide just 33.28 million won, Incruit data shows. The widening gap highlights the competitive environment the military faces as it tries to attract university graduates into officer roles.
Despite ongoing reforms, starting pay for junior officers in South Korea remains low by international standards. This year, salaries for enlisted leaders and officers rose by roughly 6 percent, according to the Defense Ministry. A new second lieutenant now earns about 20.1 million won annually, while a new staff sergeant earns around 20 million won — barely half the level students say would make the career appealing.
Under a multiyear reform plan announced in 2023, the government aims to raise annual compensation for first-year staff sergeants to 49 million won and for first-year second lieutenants to 50 million won by 2027. But those figures include allowances and have yet to materialize, leaving a significant near-term gap between expectations and reality.
Compared with other advanced militaries, South Korea’s entry-level officer pay lags even further behind. A new US Army second lieutenant earns roughly $48,000 in basic annual pay, with housing and food allowances raising total compensation significantly. In Australia, a newly commissioned lieutenant earns between A$70,000 and A$75,600 ($46,000-$50,000) a year, while Singapore’s second lieutenants receive between S$36,000 and S$80,000 ($28,000-$61,000) annually, depending on education level. Entry-level officers in the UK start at around 41,456 pounds ($55,000) a year, and their German counterparts earn an estimated 35,000 to 40,000 euros ($41,000-$46,000) annually — figures that generally reflect base pay only and exclude extensive benefits.
The pay gap has become a central factor behind South Korea’s worsening retention crisis. In the first half of 2025, 2,869 officers and NCOs voluntarily left the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps — the highest number ever recorded in the January-June period, according to government data submitted to Rep. Yu Yong-weon of the main opposition People Power Party. The number has more than doubled from 1,351 departures in the first half of 2021.
Even more concerning is that 86 percent of those who left this year were NCOs and company-grade officers — the core personnel who lead soldiers in frontline units and oversee daily operations.
“Junior and mid-career officers are the backbone of field units,” Yu said. “The accelerating outflow of these personnel could undermine the foundational stability of the entire armed forces.”
He urged the new administration to prioritize economic incentives and broader reforms to stem the decline, saying the issue has been overshadowed by recent political crises, including last year’s martial law controversy.