South Korea's Military Service
Every year, on the fourth Friday on March, the Republic of Korea (ROK) observes the “West Sea Defense Day.”
On this day, regions across the country host special events to pay tribute to the military.
Because the 1950-53 Korean conflict ended without a peace treaty, it is important for the Korean Republic to have a well-prepared military.
Korea’s military has four branches ? Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines.
The army is by far the largest branch, with 420,000 members.
In total, Korea’s armed forces has 555,000 members on active duty and an additional 2,750,000 members on reserve ? that is, available to serve if they are needed.
To maintain the armed forces, 18 months of military service is mandatory for all males aged 18 to 35.
Before starting their service, young men train for five weeks in a boot camp, or training camp.
Recently the K-pop star Jin, of BTS, trained at a boot camp in Yeoncheon-gun.