Soliders train at an Army basic training in Nonsan, 152 kilometers south of Seoul, on Dec. 7, 2023. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Dec. 7 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s draft system, long understood as a civic obligation and a cultural constant, has been facing a quieter strain beneath the surface: a growing number of young men simply never come back from overseas trips.
According to newly disclosed government data, more than 900 South Korean men avoided mandatory military service over the past five years by remaining abroad beyond the dates authorized for travel. The practice has accelerated despite heightened scrutiny from authorities.
Between January 2021 and October 2025, officials identified 3,127 cases of draft evasion. Of these, 912 — roughly one in three — involved violations of overseas travel rules, according to Rep. Hwang Hee of the ruling Democratic Party, citing records from the Military Manpower Administration.
South Korea’s conscription system requires all able-bodied men to serve at least 18 months in uniform, a duty that remains deeply embedded in the country’s national identity and its unresolved conflict with North Korea.
Men aged 25 and older who have not completed military service must receive formal permission before leaving the country or extending a stay abroad. Those who ignore the requirement can face criminal charges and restrictions on passport issuance until age 37.
Yet enforcement has proved uneven — and often lenient. While draft evasion tied to foreign travel has steadily risen each year, only a fraction of violators have received punishment.
New conscripts attend a basic military training graduation ceremony held at the Korea Army Training Center in Nonsan, 152 kilometers south of Seoul, in this file photo taken June 29, 2022. (Yonhap)
In 2021, 158 men were found to have violated travel rules; the tally rose to 185 in 2022, 196 in 2023 and 197 in 2024. Through the first ten months of 2025, authorities counted 176 new cases.
The most common scenario is mundane rather than dramatic: men taking short-term trips and simply failing to return. These cases account for more than 71 percent of overseas violations.
What is striking is the near-total absence of consequences. Of the 912 men involved in overseas evasions, only six received prison sentences and 17 received suspended terms. Twenty-five cases resulted in deferred indictments. The vast majority — 780 cases, or more than 85 percent — were dropped entirely, with investigations halted or indictments abandoned.
The data suggest a growing disconnect between the cultural weight conscription once held and the realities faced by young men navigating a globalized world.
For the state, it highlights a dilemma familiar to many societies with mandatory service: how to preserve the legitimacy of an obligation that fewer people feel bound to uphold — and whether the enforcement system has the appetite to pursue them.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
