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The annual salary of soldiers who opt for extended military service will range from W15 million to W19 million (US$1=W938). The military is phasing in a system to recruit soldiers to serve extended terms to make up for manpower that will leave under shortened mandatory terms next year.
According to a Defense Ministry official on Sunday, the ministry is reviewing a plan in which soldiers who stay on the military payroll will receive an annual salary of W15 million to W19 million. "Under the plan, if soldiers serve an additional 18 months after completing mandatory service, they will be paid from W22.4 million to W28.4 million including discharge grants," the official said.
Under the new system, soldiers who have finished their mandatory service can serve for an additional six to 18 months and get paid for working in sectors that require specific skills. Soldiers who sign up for more time will be ranked staff sergeants after they finish their mandatory term.
The ministry plans to conscript the first soldiers under the extended program from November for a trial run involving 2,000 soldiers from next year.
The plans calls for increasing the number of extended term soldiers by 1,000 to 1,500 annually, with an eventual aim of operating 40,000 paid soldiers by 2020. They would include 10,000 soldiers for positions that require specific training and 30,000 for operating advanced devices.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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