Thursday, September 09, 2004

SIZE OF RESERVES IN THE ROK

In class today someone asked about the number of reservists in South Korea. I found it surprisingly difficult to locate a current estimate. GlobalSecurity.org offers the following, dated, data:
Between 1968 and 1988, males between the ages of eighteen and forty were eligible for defense call-up duty; there was no clear policy on the age at which a recruit was eligible for retirement. In January 1988, a new policy was instituted that reduced the age-group of the male population subject to service in the reserves: only males who had been drafted for service between the ages of nineteen and thirty-four were required to serve in the reserves. The period of service was limited to between six and eight years, depending on the individual's age at conscription.
...
In 1990 there were 1,240,000 men in the reserves: 1,100,000 in the army; 60,000 in the marines; 55,000 in the air force; and 25,000 in the navy.
If anyone can locate more up-to-date information, please let us know.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Not sure whether this is exactly what you're looking for, but the CIA has some info (2004 estimates) -- they say there are 14,233,895 males 15-49 available, i.e. "of draft age", of whom 8,966,241 are "fit for service" . . . that's not broken down by branch, of course, nor does it differentiate between those who are in the military vs. those who could be, but it gives you an estimated pool to draw from if you want to estimate proportionately . . .