An Army brigadier general was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of taking bribes in exchange for paying favors to his friends' sons serving mandatory military duty, the defense ministry said.

The general, who currently serves as a vice commander of the country's Army Corps, allegedly received some 13 million won ($11,989) from five of his friends between 2012 and 2014, who asked him to change their sons' assignments at the barracks.

"While the general, surnamed Kim, had been trying to peddle his influence, only one of the five was able to be transferred to another position," a defense ministry official said on condition of anonymity.

All able-bodied South Korean men are subject to compulsory military service for about two years in a country facing North Korea across a heavily fortified border.

The vice commander also faced allegations that he received a request from another friend in October 2013 and successfully referred his son to a local defense company.

"The son landed the job, but the general does not appear to have received money in exchange for this job referral according to our probe so far," the official said. "At that time, the general was in charge of evaluating military supplies produced by the firm."