Military to revise rules to give female soldiers equal opportunities

The defense ministry will revise personnel regulations to remove discrimination against female soldiers, a ministry official said Friday.

The revision will require female officers to serve as company commanders at least twice -- the same as male soldiers -- rather than once, as currently stipulated.

"It is compulsory for male soldiers to take up the position of company leader twice," the official said. "The difference in the number of times female soldiers need to serve as a company commander may be discriminatory against them for promotion."

This file photo, dated Sept. 6, 2017, shows female soldiers saluting the national flag during a ceremony in Seoul to mark 67th anniversary of the establishment of South Korea`s Women`s Army Corps. (Yonhap)

He also said the ministry will make changes in the instructions of defense personnel management so that regulations involving female soldiers are the same as those pertaining to male counterparts.

The decision came after Vice Defense Minister Suh Choo-suk chaired a meeting on Tuesday to discuss measures to expand the proportion of female soldiers in the military and enhance their working conditions.

The ministry plans to increase the ratio of female soldiers promoted to command positions to 8.8 percent in 2022 from the 5.5 percent recorded last year. (Yonhap)