Over 8,000 permanent residents have fulfilled South Korea’s military service over the past two decades under a voluntary enrollment system, the Military Manpower Administration said.

The manpower agency adopted the voluntary enrollment system in 2004 to allow overseas residents whose mandatory military service was exempted or postponed due to their permanent residence status. All able-bodied Korean men are obliged to serve in the military for at least 18 months.

The number of cumulative applicants surpassed 8,000 by the end of 2023, steadily rising from 38 in 2004 and 704 in 2020, according to the MMA.

Under the system, permanent residents have been allowed to serve in the military while maintaining their residence status abroad. (Yonhap)