A choice can bring unexpected damage or unforeseen gains. Since the losses due to damage are irretrievable, we have to establish policies that will not cause losses. In particular, we need to be more cautious when it is directly connected to our safety. However, the risks associated with reduction of the period of military service are directly related to the guarantee of Korean security. It is important to keep in mind that a hasty change in defense policy when we are in an emergency situation could lead to a serious national disaster. Therefore, a reduction of the period of military service should not be implemented. First, reduction of the period of military service will weaken national defense. And this is directly related to the nation's security. According to research conducted by the National Defense Forum, when the military service period is reduced by three months, more than 45,000 soldiers will disappear. South Korea’s defense capabilities are not superior in quality and numbers compared to North Korea because South Korea doesn’t have nuclear weapons. Also, North Korea's period of military service is 10 years long, so it has superior soldiers. Moreover, South Korea has less than half of the military strength compared to North Korea. When news reports say North Korea fired missiles, we go to the store to get emergency food. We are still living in this era. Although more than 60 years have passed since we made the Armistice Agreement, the public is still living in fear that the Korean War will be repeated. Also, we still face situations when our national defense is threatened such as the attacks on the military vessel Cheonan and on Yeonpyeong Island. If the military service period is shortened, it would scare the people by drawing the nation's security to a dangerously low level. Second, a reduction of the period of military service policy is inefficient in terms of budgeting and in the development of soldier skills. Reducing the number of troops would inevitably lead to increased budgets. Instead of reducing the number of soldiers from 610,000 to 500,000, the government has proposed an alternative. It is increasing the number of female soldiers and noncommissioned officers to secure military resources. The government said it will increase the ratio of noncommissioned officers to make more professional soldiers and replenish the missing soldiers with high-tech equipment. However, the budget for increasing the number of female soldiers and noncommissioned officers cannot be ignored. Noncommissioned officers are usually short-term military personnel who works for four years. Since they are non-regular workers, it is difficult to gather sufficient workers. The proficiency of soldiers also declines due to a shorter military service policy because it requires 16 months to master for food soldiers and 21 months for military-related personnel. This is the result of research that was done by military experts. It is the term required to learn to handle high-tech weapons used in the army and master the other things associated with the military system. Reducing the military period would be equivalent to being transferred soldiers immediately as soon as soldiers become adapting military training. To form an army of experienced soldiers compared with the failure to do so can create a big difference. Because experienced soldiers can pass on the know-how they have learned in the military to the other soldiers. Therefore, the shorter military service period is inefficient as it causes a decline in the soldiers' abilities to be skilled. Third, it is a populist policy that dazes young people without reality. How many of you who live in South Korea want to go to the military? Everyone wants to avoid the army. Two years in the army means that they lose opportunities to do other things. Various accidents that occur in the military make young people hope to avoid the army more and more. But when it comes to considering reality, young people can live in their nations only when the nation’s security is guaranteed. Due to the low birthrate, the number of people that have the duty of military service is decreasing. Therefore, if the period of military service is also reduced, the nation's military situation could be worsened. However, the policy for just getting young people's votes should be discouraged. It is more realistic to suggest policy such as increasing the welfare of soldiers and solving various absurd accidents that happen in the military. That is why reduction of the period of military service is judged deemed to be a populist policy that ignores the problem of the shortage of soldiers. We can prepare for the future when we know our history. During the Joseon Dynasty, military policies were changed before the Japanese invasion of Korea in 1592, which caused a huge disaster in our nation. Reduction of the period of military service will weaken the nation's defense, so it cannot provide a security guarantee to the people's lives. The policy should not be implemented because it also causes enormous inefficiency in budget and military quality. The present government should not make political calculations to win votes, but formulate a policy that reflects understanding of the internal situation and structure of the military now and in the distant future.
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