Conscription in South Korea
Conscription in South Korea has existed since 1957 and requires male citizens between the ages of 18 and 28 to perform in the army compulsory military service. Women are not required to perform military service, but may voluntarily enlist.
Military Police (Republic of Korea)
All ROK troops guarding and patrolling inside the DMZ are officially MPs, although their equipment is that of elite ROK-army units such as body-armor/combat vests, night-vision equipment, optical sights for the Daewoo K2, etc. The reason why these soldiers are MPs is because the armistice that was signed in 1953 that ended the Korean War requires both sides (the North and the South) to restrict access inside the DMZ to MPs only, which means no vehicles, no squad-served weapons (such as mortars and HMGs) and no regular units of the army.