The Army is considering altering the current rank system for draftees to reduce the number of active-duty sergeants as part of efforts to reduce violence and abuse in the military, officials said Tuesday.

Under the plan, only squad leaders will be given the rank of sergeant. Squad leaders will be selected from among corporals who perform well. The rest of soldiers will be promoted to sergeant on the day that they complete their mandatory military service.

The plan also states that only those being trained at a boot camp will carry the rank of private ― a move that the Army said would help improve the strictly hierarchical culture being cited as a primary cause of mental and physical abuse at barracks.

“We are currently soliciting opinions about altering the rank system and considering recommending it to the Defense Ministry by the end of this year,” said a senior Army official on condition of anonymity.

Some critics argued that the root cause of the problem is not the rank system, but the deep-seated rigid military culture.

In November 2012, the state-run Korea Institute for Defense Analyses claimed that the current four-rank system should be changed into a three-rank system that eliminates the rank of private as a way to help stamp out violence in the barracks.

The current system consisting of four ranks was created in 1954 when draftees were obliged to serve in the Army for 36 months. Currently, Army soldiers serve for 21 months ― private for three months, private first class for seven months, corporal for seven months and sergeant for four months.

In the wake of a series of abuse cases that resulted in suicides and even a shooting spree, the Army has been struggling to devise ways to wipe out violence among conscripts, particularly in remote frontline units where abuses tend to occur more frequently.

The Defense Ministry has established a panel to improve what critics called outmoded military culture. As the panel is working to find easily applicable solutions to improve the culture, the military has recently decided to allow draftees to meet visitors not only on weekends, but also on weekdays.

The military has also vowed to improve communication among draftees and their family members. As part of the efforts, the military has decided to test-run a system in which it would offer unit cellphones to be shared among soldiers in the same rank.

By Song Sang-ho (sshluck@heraldcorp.com)