Ex-PPP leader proposes requiring women to serve in military to become police officers, fire fighters

SEOUL, Former ruling party leader Lee Jun-seok on Monday proposed having women serve in the military first if they want to apply for jobs as police officers or firefighters. Lee, now leader of the newly created Reformative Conservative Party, made the proposal as a campaign pledge ahead of April's general elections. He has been popular among young male voters due in part to his anti-feminist stance. "We will make it mandatory for those who choose to become public servants in the fields of police, maritime police, firefighting and correction to serve in the military regardless of whether they are men or women," Lee said. "There will be exceptions in case of those for whom it is difficult to serve in the military," he said. The proposal also came amid concerns over South Korea's projected shrinkage of military personnel due to the country's falling birth rate. To address such concerns, the defense ministry has eased rules on the requirements of mandatory military service to include overweight men and poss ibly transgender women who have not received hormone therapy for more than six months. Lee said his party could consider gradually expanding the plan to other sectors, adding that his proposal is estimated to add 10,000 to 20,000 in manpower to the military every year. In South Korea, all able-bodied men must serve mandatory military service for at least 18 months, while women can volunteer for military duty as officers or non-commissioned officers. Source: Yonhap News Agency