South Korea looks to outsource military base security to private firms as manpower drops

Civilians could soon stand guard where South Korean soldiers once did, as the Lee Jae Myung administration is trying to outsource guard duties for military bases in rear areas to private security companies.

The proposed plan comes as South Korea is facing a manpower shortage against the backdrop of a declining population and low birthrate. The South Korean military, as of this year, has around 450,000 active-duty members, short of the 500,000 deemed necessary for wartime mobilization.

The Ministry of National Defense on Tuesday confirmed to the Korea JoongAng Daily that the ministry hired researchers to study whether private companies could take over rear-area security duties.  

Rear areas are non-frontline regions that are away from the heavily fortified inter-Korean border such as parts of southern Gyeonggi, and the Chungcheong or Gyeongsang regions.

“The plan will not be implemented next year, but we will run a pilot program,” a Defense Ministry official from its spokesperson's office said. “We plan to complete this program by 2040.”  

The initiative could come with a set of security issues or create confusion in the military, despite possibly resolving the personnel shortage problem for the armed forces.  

Security risks                                                                          

A threat to South Korea's military bases may not come from outside — but from the people hired to guard them.

If private companies take over guard duties, they will need access to sensitive information — including military personnel data, restricted area locations, entrants' names and vehicle details — to verify authorized personnel at the gates and confirm they are cleared for entry, particularly when the automatic ID scanning system is down.

Leaving these duties to private companies, however, could put the military at risk of exposing classified information.

“Civilian workers need to know who holds what title, which is all security-related information,” Yang Uk, a research fellow from the center for foreign policy and national security department of the Asian Institute for Policy Studies, told the Korea JoongAng Daily. “Leaking that information to outside sources could be a problem. The biggest problem is to what extent can the military trust private companies.”

Although the Defense Ministry said private firms will only be in charge of noncombat guard duties such as identifying personnel and vehicles entering bases or managing CCTV systems, this would still require the military to share its information with civilian workers.

Data on military personnel and equipment is classified, as such information could allow outside actors to infer the combat capabilities of certain bases or their operational plans.

The move to replace soldiers with manpower provided by private firms aligns with an initiative unveiled by Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back last October, which entails maintaining an active-duty force of 350,000 troops focused on combat roles while outsourcing noncombat functions, such as guard duties, to 150,000 civilian personnel. 

Some critics raise the possibility that North Korean spies can infiltrate into private firms. 

“With South Korea still confronting North Korea, this is a careless idea,” main opposition People Power Party (PPP) Rep. Joo Jin-woo said in a statement on June 22. “Who would stop North Korean spies from deliberately planting themselves in a private security company, especially now that even the Defense Counterintelligence Command [DCC] has been disbanded?”

The DCC was South Korea’s military counterintelligence agency carrying out counterespionage operations and preventing the infiltration of foreign spies into the armed forces. The Defense Ministry said in June that it would disband the command and distribute its functions among newly created and existing branches in a move to reduce the unit’s power. 

Lower readiness, a possible gain

The Defense Ministry’s plan coincides with its other initiative to slash frontline troops by nearly 75 percent and replace them with AI-equipped systems by 2040.

“If these are implemented, it's obvious that overall readiness could decline,” Yang said. “Everyone understands that. But there is only one reason for moving forward with it: There simply aren't enough troops.”

The number of men eligible for active duty service is projected to hover around 151,000 in 2039, according to a report released by Korea's Board of Audit and Inspection in 2021.

However, the transition to private companies handling noncombat guard duties could offer some upsides for the military, which has been grappling with manpower shortages.

By relieving military members of routine guard duties, the shift allows them to focus on core tasks such as physical training and combat-related exercises.

“Using private companies instead of active-duty soldiers for guard duties will likely reduce the overall level of security because civilians do not have the same responsibilities or authority as military personnel,” Jung Kyeong-woon, a senior research fellow from the Korea Research Institute for Strategy, said. “However, given the current troop shortage, the military may have no choice but to accept this risk.”

As for frontline bases, the Defense Ministry has yet to reveal whether similar plans are underway, but expanding the plan to front lines could reduce extra duties for all military personnel across the country. 

“Front line guard duties should gradually be replaced with other methods, and fewer troops should be assigned to those duties,” Jung said. “This would allow frontline divisions to remain at full strength in peacetime and focus on training and combat readiness.”

Unclear legal framework and path forward

Private companies in charge of guard duties will be responsible for any damage to military bases or personnel, but it is unclear to what extent civilian workers can be held accountable. Military law does not apply to civilians.

“One expected challenge is determining how far a private security company's responsibility should extend if it fails to provide adequate security or guard a military facility,” Jung said. “While administrative or financial penalties may be possible, it is unclear whether the company could also be held criminally liable.”

By contrast, active-duty military personnel can face both administrative penalties and criminal charges if they fail in their guard duties, even when the failure results from negligence.

“It is also unclear whether the government could enact a special law, similar to those that apply to active-duty military personnel, to hold private security companies to the same level of accountability for failures in security or guard duties,” Jung said.

The Defense Ministry has yet to announce whether it is looking to introduce laws designed for private companies, as it has not even yet reached the stage of recruiting security firms for the pilot program.

Noncombat guard duties are not central to the military's mission but are instead treated as an extra burden for soldiers stationed at frontline or rear areas.

While the shift could ease pressure on the military, legal gaps around civilian involvement in defense work and other risks mean the transition is likely to be gradual.

“We are currently working to pass the basic legislation for the plan, and we hope to have it enacted by next year,” the Defense Ministry official said. “Once the law is in place, we will move forward with the necessary follow-up measures.” 

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]