Screenshot from YouTube channel "Pen and Mike"

The chief of a military think tank in South Korea has sparked controversy after suggesting that conscripting women into the military could boost marriage and fertility rates.

Kim Hyung-chul, president of the Korea Institute for Military Affairs, a nonprofit public interest foundation under the Ministry of National Defense, talked about whether women should go to the military in an interview on the local YouTube channel, “Pen and Mike” on Sept. 23.

“We have reached a point where women need to serve in the military. In that case, men and women would sleep in separate rooms in the barracks, but they would still live together like in university dormitories,” said Kim. “Naturally, couples would form. And this camaraderie could lead to more marriages and eventually more babies.”

Conscription of women into the military is good for creating opportunities for men and women to meet, according to him, and also for deploying women as a combat force in times of emergency.

Kim's remarks were met with criticism, with viewers expressing outrage in comments saying Kim views women solely as tools for childbirth. Others said the military is not a place to look for a date.

Rep. Park Sun-won of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea also criticized Kim’s remarks, calling on the government to take responsibility for having appointed Kim. Park criticized Kim for making a “very inappropriate comment trying to use the military as a tool for childbirth,” and called on the defense minister, currently Kim Yong-hyun, who has the authority to appoint the KIMA president, to apologize immediately.

As the backlash to his comments ignited, Kim told local broadcaster SBS that it was a lighthearted comment meant to stress the need for places where men and women can meet. “I apologize if it was inappropriate,” he said.

Kim is a retired Air Force lieutenant general who was appointed as the president of KIMA in November 2022.