Lee Jae-myung pledges shift from conscription to professional military as South Korea eyes defence overhaul

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung visited the Marine Corps' Yeonpyeong Unit on Wednesday, 25 June 2025, pledging a comprehensive overhaul of the country's armed forces, including a shift away from mandatory conscription toward professional military service, and committing to raise defence expenditure to 3.5 per cent of gross domestic product.

The visit, Lee's first to Yeonpyeong Island since taking office, coincided with the week marking the 76th anniversary of the outbreak of the 1950–53 Korean War, which falls on Thursday.

Reducing reliance on conscription

Addressing troops at a luncheon meeting, Lee reaffirmed a long-standing policy pledge to minimise the number of conscripted service members. "We will minimise the number of conscripts and create a system in which people can choose military service as their profession through recruitment," Lee said, according to Yonhap.

Lee said South Korea's armed forces must adapt to both demographic pressures and the rapid evolution of military technology. "Our military will need to undergo significant changes, particularly by rearming itself with advanced science and technology," he said.

He emphasised that his administration would pursue a "future-oriented" transformation of the Republic of Korea's armed forces, aiming to build capabilities that the nation could "proudly present to the world."

Defence spending increase

Lee also reaffirmed the government's commitment to increasing defence expenditure. "We have decided to increase defence spending to 3.5 per cent of gross domestic product, which means we will have to spend substantially more on national defence than we do now," he told troops.

The president said the additional funding should strengthen military personnel capabilities and create opportunities for younger generations, not become "wasteful expenditure."

Lee also framed military strength as inseparable from peace. "Far more important is winning without fighting. There is an even more important stage: creating a situation in which there is no need to fight at all. That is peace," he said.

Weapons inspection and live-fire drills

During the visit, Lee inspected a range of Marine Corps weapons systems, including K1E1 tanks, Spike precision-guided missiles, Bigung guided rockets, Chunmoo multiple rocket launchers, and K9A1 self-propelled howitzers. He climbed aboard a K9A1 howitzer for a closer inspection of the artillery system deployed on the island.

Lee subsequently participated in a live-fire exercise at a firing range, where he fired 10 rounds from a K2C1 assault rifle, hitting the target with all 10 shots, and also discharged a K15 machine gun loaded with live ammunition, according to Yonhap. He wore a bulletproof vest and helmet throughout the exercise.

Chinese vessels near the Northern Limit Line

Later in the day, Lee visited the Yeonpyeong Peace Observatory, where he received a briefing on the security situation in the area, including illicit fishing activities by Chinese vessels operating south of the Northern Limit Line (NLL).

National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac explained that pursuing the Chinese vessels was difficult because doing so risked triggering tensions with North Korea or crossing the maritime boundary.

Lee expressed concern at the briefing. "We should not allow Chinese vessels to enter boundary areas and provoke disputes," he said, instructing Wi to explore possible solutions. "It doesn't seem like something we can simply leave unattended. Isn't this too much, happening in broad daylight?" he added.

Lee directed the National Security Adviser to discuss how to address the issue.

Yeonpyeong Island, located near the de facto maritime border with North Korea, was shelled by Pyongyang in November 2010 in one of the deadliest attacks on South Korean territory since the Korean War. The island lies close to the NLL in the Yellow Sea, and the Marine Corps unit stationed there operates in proximity to North Korean-held islands and the disputed maritime boundary.

During his visit, Lee also listened to troops' concerns on matters including transportation costs, housing, medical services, recreational facilities, and leave policies.