Korean Military Service: Duration, Pay & Savings Guide (2025)

Last updated: 2026-06-25

Korean military service: where to start

Before enlisting, three questions come first: "When do I get discharged?", "How much is the pay?", and "How can I save money during service?" These are actually connected. Once your service length is fixed, your discharge date and rank promotion dates are set; as you rise in rank your pay grows; and putting that pay into the Soldier Tomorrow savings turns into a lump sum after discharge thanks to the government match. This article walks through that flow in order.

Service length by branch and discharge date

Active-duty service length differs by branch. The Army and Marines serve 18 months, the Navy 20 months, and the Air Force 21 months. Social service workers (supplementary service) serve 21 months. The discharge date is the day before the date reached by adding the service months to your enlistment date. Under Korean military law the service end date counts from the enlistment day, so remember the enlistment day itself is the first day of service.

For example, if you enlisted in the Army on March 3, 2025, then 18 months later is September 3, 2026, and the day before, September 2, 2026, is your discharge date. You can check your exact discharge date, remaining D-day, and service progress by entering just your enlistment date and branch in the Discharge Date Calculator.

Rank promotions: when do they change?

A conscript becomes a Private on the enlistment day. After that, once the required service months in the Korean military regulations are met, you are automatically promoted to the next rank. Private requires 2 months, PFC 6 months, and Corporal 6 months, so the cumulative months from the enlistment date are PFC 2 months, Corporal 8 months, and Sergeant 14 months.

Actual promotions are often applied on the 1st of the month in which the required months are met, so they may differ from the enlistment-based calculation by a few days. Check your PFC, Corporal, and Sergeant promotion dates and current rank in the Service Days & Promotion Calculator.

2025 conscript pay

Conscript pay has risen quickly. As of 2025, Private is ₩750K, PFC ₩900K, Corporal ₩1.2M, and Sergeant ₩1.5M. Active-duty conscript pay is tax-exempt, so no income tax or social insurance is withheld. Unlike a civilian salary, the listed pay is close to what you actually take home.

Because pay grows as you rise in rank, the total pay over 18 months is less than simply multiplying one rank's pay by 18. Check your pay by rank and year, and the estimated total over your service, in the Military Pay Calculator.

Building a lump sum with the Soldier Tomorrow savings

Rather than just spending your increased pay, putting it into the Soldier Tomorrow savings turns it into a lump sum by discharge. This account is special because three benefits apply at once: a preferential bank rate, tax-free interest income (exempt from the ordinary 15.4%), and the government's 1:1 match. Since the government adds as much as your own principal, the accumulation effect far exceeds plain interest.

As of 2025, the self-funded monthly limit is ₩550,000. Filling ₩550,000 each month for 18 months gives about ₩9.9M of your principal plus about ₩9.9M of government match, for about ₩19.8M of principal alone. With bank interest and interest support, the maturity is around ₩20M. Calculate your own maturity based on your monthly deposit and term in the Soldier Tomorrow Savings Calculator.

Pre-discharge checklist

• Confirm your discharge date — figure out your discharge date and remaining D-day by enlistment date and branch.
• Track the promotion schedule — watch pay changes at PFC, Corporal, and Sergeant promotion points.
• Fill the savings limit — to maximize the government match, it helps to fill the monthly deposit limit.
• Match maturity and timing — align the savings maturity with your discharge to avoid early-withdrawal losses.

Summary

• Service length: Army/Marines 18, Navy 20, Air Force 21, social service 21 months.
• Promotion: Private (enlistment) → PFC (+2 months) → Corporal (+8 months) → Sergeant (+14 months).
• 2025 pay: Private ₩750K · PFC ₩900K · Corporal ₩1.2M · Sergeant ₩1.5M (tax-free).
• Soldier Tomorrow savings: 1:1 government match + tax-free + preferential rate to build a lump sum by discharge.

These figures are on a 2025 basis and can change as rules change. For exact details, check the MMA, the Ministry of National Defense, and your bank.

Last updated: 2026-06-25