Monthly Pay Gap Just 630,000 Won... Sergeant First Classes Cheer Higher Pay as Sergeants Disappear

Sergeant strength plunges 36.5% in four years
Pay gap between enlisted soldiers and junior officers narrows

The number of sergeants, a key part of the military’s operational workforce, has fallen by more than 15,000 over the past four years. Analysts say the pay gap between enlisted soldiers and junior officers has narrowed as soldiers’ monthly pay has risen rapidly. At the same time, aversion to joining the noncommissioned officer corps has intensified because of relatively long service terms and heavy workloads. Concerns are growing that the military’s ability to lead troops in the field and its combat readiness could also be affected, as the NCO recruitment rate has remained in the 50% to 60% range for three consecutive years.

The number of sergeants, a core part of the military’s operational workforce, has fallen by more than 15,000 over the past four years. Analysts say the rapid rise in soldiers’ monthly pay has narrowed the wage gap with junior officers, while relatively long service periods and heavy workloads have further discouraged people from applying to become noncommissioned officers.

Reporter Heo Younghan

On Oct. 29, Min Hong-cheol, a Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker on the National Assembly’s National Defense Committee, cited data submitted by the Ministry of National Defense and said the average annual operational strength of sergeants, including those serving under fixed-term NCO contracts, fell from about 43,000 in 2021 to about 27,300 last year. That represents a decline of about 15,700, or 36.5%, in just four years.

Over the same period, the total operational strength of junior officers—sergeants, second lieutenants and first lieutenants—fell from about 63,600 to about 45,600, a decrease of 28.3%. Sergeants accounted for 87.2% of the total decline in junior officers. The drop among sergeants was particularly pronounced compared with the 11.2% decrease in the operational strength of second and first lieutenants.

An even bigger problem is the sharp decline in the number of new NCOs joining the military.

The NCO recruitment rate was 91.5% in 2021 and 86.0% in 2022, before plunging to 55.1% in 2023. It fell further to 50.1% in 2024 and recovered slightly to 61.0% last year, but the military still failed to fill about 40% of its planned positions. Meanwhile, the number of sergeants discharged from the military fell from about 5,990 in 2021 to about 3,370 last year. The ratio of discharges to average operational strength also declined over the same period, from 14% to 12%.

This indicates that the decline in the number of sergeants is being driven not only by existing NCOs leaving the military but also by a lack of new recruits. Inside and outside the military, the rapidly narrowing pay gap between enlisted soldiers and junior officers is cited as one reason for the growing reluctance to become an NCO. In fact, the monthly base pay of a sergeant first class rose 146.5%, from 608,500 won in 2021 to 1.5 million won this year. By contrast, the monthly base pay of a first-year sergeant increased just 27.1% over the same period, from 1,678,100 won to 2,133,000 won.

As recently as 2021, a sergeant’s base pay was about 2.8 times that of a sergeant first class. This year, the ratio has fallen to about 1.4 times. The monthly base-pay gap has narrowed from about 1.07 million won in 2021 to 633,000 won this year. While improving conditions for enlisted soldiers is a positive change, critics say the failure to make comparable pay improvements for junior officers has diminished the appeal of a career as an NCO, who must accept a relatively long service term as well as command and management responsibilities.

The Ministry of National Defense estimates that a newly commissioned sergeant will take home about 41 million won this year. However, this amount includes allowances for an average of 23 hours of overtime per month and duty pay for about two weekday shifts and one holiday shift. With duty shifts and overtime combined, the calculation reflects about 71 hours of additional work per month. Critics say it is difficult to assess junior officers’ actual compensation based solely on annual take-home pay that includes these allowances.

“Unless the military can recruit enough NCOs, the backbone of its forces, its ability to lead troops in the field and its combat readiness will inevitably be seriously affected,” Min said. “Rather than emphasizing a misleading total that combines duty pay and overtime allowances, the military must bring base pay itself in line with junior officers’ responsibilities and workload.” He added, “We need practical measures covering pay, working conditions and opportunities for long-term service so that young people will see becoming an NCO as an attractive career.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.