Since 1975, non-disabled males between the ages of 18 to 35 of South Korea have been required to enter mandatory military service while females have been completely exonerated. Korea’s unique military system can be understood through its complex history. Korea was annexed by Japan from 1910 to 1945, often referred to as the Japanese Colonial Period. Stripping out Korea’s culture, Japan took utter control of all labor and land, accentuating loyalty to the Japanese Emperor. After years of exploitation, in 1948, Korea declared its independence. Having been under the control of a neighboring country explicitly indicated a weakened state of Korea which triggered the formation of a military via mandatory conscription. Ensuring stability was essential to form unity among citizens during hard times, and mandatory conscription was considered effective in constructing fortified military posts. However, mandatory conscription drived explicit division between genders, followed by the establishment of a patriarchal system which regarded women’s disposition as fragile and malleable while encouraging men to step up to safeguard their country and household. The outbreak of the Cold War (1945-1991) shortly after the release from Japan ended up dividing the Korean peninsula into North and South, the Soviet Union and US gaining control, respectively. Ceaseless requirement of the male dominant military to stay on guard extended stark gender division for decades, in which sexism gradually soaked in as a natural part of the system.

As the complex history of Korea presents, its military system goes beyond sexism; it is also a problem regarding ‘Justice’. Two distinct perspectives, utilitarianism and libertarianism, can be applied to address the extent of fairness of the Korean Military system. Utilitarianism, also referred to as Bentham’s ‘greatest happiness’ is a principle that highlights the importance of maximizing happiness, the overall balance of pleasure over pain. Libertarianism, opposite of prioritizing utility, is a philosophy that upholds liberty and bodily autonomy as its core value.

The Korean Military system is unfair for women who yearn to join the military services on an equal standing as male counterparts. Women in Korea can still join their military, but are separated from other soldiers by being titled as a ‘female soldier’. Women are also often misunderstood to have been exempted from high intensity training when they have fulfilled the same requirements as male soldiers.

Female soldiers only make up around 2.4% of the total military force in Korea. Although women who volunteer to enlist in the army are increasing annually, the quality of facilities in their institution remain poor. According to a 2019 survey by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, 15.7% of female soldiers responded that they are discriminated against, listing poor convenience facilities for females such as bathrooms as a major reason. The public opinions on female soldiers are negative, merely viewing them as a nuisance. “There is no such word indicating a ‘male soldier’”, appealed Kwon Ji-young, a 46-year-old female sergeant. In order to recognize male and female as equal soldiers, the first step to take is abolishing the term “female soldier” in Korea.

Women possess autonomy over their bodies, authorizing themselves to make appropriate choices according to their discretion, even if that means strong willingness to be drafted into the same military service as men. The gender roles in South Korea have also changed significantly. Unlike the past view of confining women into a stereotyped role, the invisible border of role distribution is starting to vanish as the number of men fully dedicated to childcare reached a climax as people stepped into the 21st century.

In April 2021, an online petition titled “Please enlist women in the military through conscription” was posted on the presidential Blue House website, and 44,000 people signed in just 3 days, protesting toward the central government that underlined the significant desire for a change. Women are raising their voice to establish equal grounds in the military; they want to join the frontline of the Korean army and guard the country under war circumstances, just as men do. Disregarding these opinions would be an act that lucidly violates the summed up utility of civilians.

Contrary to the skewed military system Korea adopts, its resolute military system took a significant role when establishing the relationship between the US and Korea. On July 23, 1953, US and Korea signed a Mutual Defense Treaty, pledging to foster peace around the globe, “tackling the most significant and consequential security challenges”. Titled as one of the most premier alliances, the US – Korean relationship is conducted under mutual trust of national security. According to a public opinion survey by Karl Friedhoff in 2023, 71% of Americans believe sustaining the relationship with Korea strengthens the US national security and 64% endorse long term military bases in South Korea. –US’s praise toward Korea’s stringent military selection highlights the guaranteed stability, despite its subsequent byproduct: explicit gender division.

Israel’s unique military system –Israel Defense Forces (IDF)–was built on the same foundation of national security goals as Korea’s military system. However, IDF is characterized by integration of both genders. Driven by the purpose to defend themselves from overwhelming neighbors, the creation of IDF was commanded merely two weeks after Israel’s declaration of independence in 1948. Annually, 1,500 able bodied females are drafted into the military, serving a minimum of 24 months in the camp. Its principle doctrine of conscripting women guides us to their embedded history. IDF’s supervised integration of women traces back to Zionist political violence during the 1947–1949 Palestine War where Jewish women took part in instrumental roles in the terrorist group, defending the country against the British. Even before the establishment of IDF, women enlisted as a combat role in the central Jewish paramilitary organization named Railway Protection Force (RDF) was recorded as 10%. Then, following the creation of IDF in 1948, the idea of maximizing mankind in the military for protection led Israel to conscript females equally. Additionally, amendments made in Women’s Equal Rights Law of Israel during 1999-2000 lessened disparities between men and women and equalized them in the military.

A nation’s history establishes an ideology that ultimately shapes the country itself. In Israel, altering Women’s Equal Rights Law led to the equal conscription of both females and males. Yet, in Korea, incessant pressure to be on guard winnowed out a sex that better shows off their physical abilities. Korean women were simply never given the opportunity to join military forces. This leaves us to ponder on a question that is entwined with humanity’s intricacy, whether it is up to us to criticize which sex a nation culls out to be conscripted. Going beyond women’s stereotypical role in the society may bring chaos to the already settled tacit policies. It is also true that men and women have biological differences.

When it comes to the debate of the Korean military system, it is difficult to present a distinct answer when determining the degree of fairness. Whether the system will continue or be revamped by current societal movements depends on South Korea’s changing stance on how they define what is just. Despite its ambiguity, it is essential to open new avenues in our society, ensuring that policies reflect the rising awareness of gender equality and fairness.