Alternative Military Service System for Designated Industries Will Remain Until 2012

The alternative military service system for special industries was originally planned to be abolished by next year, but it has been decided to be maintained until 2012. The mandatory service period for professionals with masters and doctoral degrees in science and engineering, who are working for companies in these industries in substitution of their military services, will be shortened to three years from the current mandate of four years.

The government and the Uri Party agreed on this in the party-government council meeting on Friday. Commerce, Industry and Energy Minister Lee Heu-beom, Military Manpower Administration Chief Kim Doo-seong, Policy Board Chairman Hong Jae-hyung, other members participated in this meeting.

Ahn Byong-yup, chairman of the fourth policy coordinating committee, said, “It was decided to maintain the number of these workers at the current level of 4,500 until 2012 in order to ease manpower shortage in small- and medium-sized businesses. The mandatory service period of these workers was too long; consequently, not very many chose this alternative to their military service, but it is reduced now and more people will apply for this system and businesses will be benefited from these workers.”

The party and the government also added one more qualification for those who apply for this service. Currently, the applicants are qualified only if they possess certificates related to the relevant skills. However, from this point forward, they must hold a major in the relevant field.

Businesses also requested to extend the range of the qualified industries from the current business size of 30 or more employees to 10 or more. When this change will become effective is yet to be decided, however. In addition to the service period reduction, the period that limits a worker’s job transfer will be reduced from two years to one and half years.

Other measures decided by the party and the government include changing the titles of these alternative military service workers from “industry-requested workers” to “industry-requested skilled workers” and from “professional research workers” to “science technology workers,” the introduction of a school-industry cooperative system between technical high schools and designated industries, giving science talents who enter graduate schools the priority to work in these companies, and extending the recognized period of working offshore from six months to one year.

Hoon Lee dreamland@donga.com