This is basically the first step to creating a professional military. Few people are going to agree to be a conscript for 4-5 years no matter how good the job is. This is why the pay is going to have to be significantly higher compared to a conscript to get them to agree to that contract. This essentially means you now have a professional soldier and not a conscript:

President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday stressed the need for Korea to adopt a selective enlistment system to transform the country’s armed forces into a “smart, elite and powerful military” centered on advanced equipment and technology.

The president reaffirmed his long-standing commitment to the revised system, which was one of his election campaign pledges. The proposed system would let individuals choose between serving as active-duty conscripts for 18-21 months or as technology-intensive noncommissioned officers for four or five years — a longer commitment than rank-and-file conscription, offset by incentives such as higher salaries meant to attract volunteers.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

Please leave anything you want to discuss in the comments section.

More good news for Korea’s shipbuilding industry:

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday signed a national security memorandum permitting foreign shipbuilders to build up to two ships in their parent shipyards for delivery to the United States, as the U.S. seeks to rebuild its Navy and shipbuilding industrial base.

The memorandum came as the U.S. is stepping up shipbuilding cooperation with Korea, which has committed to investing $150 billion in the U.S. shipbuilding sector as part of a total $350 billion investment pledge under last year’s bilateral trade and investment deal.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

It just goes to show that if you have enough money that it doesn’t matter how much your reputation is in tatters people will still flock to see you:

TerraPower founder Bill Gates arrives at Gimpo International Airport in western Seoul on Aug. 13, 2026. (Yonhap)

American billionaire and founder of TerraPower Bill Gates arrived in South Korea on Thursday to meet with political and business leaders to discuss cooperation on next-generation nuclear reactors. 

Gates, who also chairs the Gates Foundation, landed aboard a private jet at Gimpo International Airport in western Seoul at around 9:20 p.m., according to people close to the matter. He last visited Seoul just about a year ago. 

While in Seoul, Gates is expected to have a string of meetings with key figures in political and business circles for discussions on expanding partnerships in small modular reactors (SMRs) and other areas. 

He is expected to meet Prime Minister Han Seong-sook on Friday and top business leaders, including SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and HD Hyundai Chairman Chung Ki-sun.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It does seem to make sense you want the alternative airfield built before closing Gwangju Airbase, but with the current timeline for closure being 2028 I don’t see how a new base could be built in time:

“Airpower is what North Korea fears most and Gwangju is a base the U.S. military actively uses. It is concerning that the plan is moving ahead on schedule without a clear alternative prepared,” Yang said.

He questioned the timing, suggesting the decision appeared aimed at shoring up political support in the region rather than addressing a defense need. “With Korea-U.S. alliance issues piling up, designating Gwangju specifically suggests the goal is political — holding onto support in that region,” Yang said, adding that pursuing the plan for political reasons is not inherently wrong, but that it becomes a problem when it interferes with matters of security importance.

Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Womans University, noted the base holds significance beyond the immediate peninsula context.

“Sites like the Gwangju base feature hardened aircraft shelters designed to protect fighter jets from preemptive strikes, preserving combat power for counterattacks in a potential U.S.–China conflict. The same logic applies to deterring North Korea, where overwhelming airpower is essential … Joint bilateral consultations are essential to determine the strategic risks,” Park said.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

This seems like common sense to let people know you plan to launch projectile into airspace, but as we have seen recently certain countries could care less:

South Korea, the United States, Japan and 37 other countries issued a joint statement Tuesday calling on countries to provide sufficient advance notification of launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) and space launch vehicles (SLVs).

The statement came after China carried out a surprise launch of an SLBM into the open waters of the Pacific on July 6, drawing criticism from the U.S. and other countries. The countries did not mention China by name in the statement.

In the statement, the countries called on all nations, particularly nuclear-weapon states, to provide notification of ICBM, SLBM and SLV launches no less than 24 hours in advance, noting that nuclear-capable missile tests without sufficient advance notice are “dangerous” and disrupt the peace of nations close to these tests.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.