Home > National > Social Affairs

Bill to raise conscription age limit to 43 clears parliamentary committee with bipartisan support

Published: 14 Apr. 2026, 21:43 Updated: 15 Apr. 2026, 13:01

The logo of the Military Manpower Administration [YONHAP]

A bill to raise the maximum age for mandatory military service from 38 to 43 cleared a key parliamentary committee with bipartisan support on Tuesday.

Approved by the National Defense Committee, the proposed revision to the Military Service Act aims to curb draft evasion by those who leave the country around the time of enlistment without valid reasons and remain abroad for extended periods.

It also sets out to raise the age limit for enforcing military service obligations and related penalties from 40 to 45, and includes provisions allowing authorities to disclose the personal information of draft evaders who lack justifiable cause online and provide it to the media.

These delay-and-avoid tactics have been a recurring issue raised during annual parliamentary audits.

The number of individuals residing overseas who were classified for wartime labor service — a category exempt from active duty and reserve service but subject to mobilization for support roles during wartime — rose steadily over the past five years, from 4,481 in 2021 to 5,289 in 2025, according to data obtained by People Power Party (PPP) Rep. Yoo Yong-won.

A survey by the Military Manpower Administration last year found that 64 percent of respondents supported raising the exemption age.

Rep. Yoo had previously raised allegations during a 2024 parliamentary audit that the son of former Financial Services Commission Chairman Eun Sung-soo had evaded military service. A subsequent audit by the Board of Audit and Inspection found that Eun’s son had obtained permission to travel abroad for study, but has not returned after leaving for the United States.

Similar bills have been proposed by PPP Rep. Sung Il-jong and Democratic Party Rep. Kim Byung-kee.

BY LEE YU-JUNG [[email protected]]