How old is the limit for enlisting in the Korean Army?
Conscription in South Korea
By law, when a Korean man turns 18 years old, he is enlisted for "first citizen service," meaning he is liable for military duty, but is not yet required to serve. When he turns 19 years old (or, in some instances, 20 years old), he is required to undergo a physical exam to determine whether he is suitable for military service. The table below shows the physical exam's possible grades and their outcomes, according to the Military Service Act. Men must enlist by the time they turn 28 (Korean age).
The length of compulsory military service in South Korea varies based on military branch. Active duty soldiers serve 21 months in the Army or Marine Corps, 23 months in the Navy, and 24 months in the Air Force. After conscripts finish their military service, they are automatically placed on the reserve roster and are obligated to attend a few days of annual military training for 6 years.
National service in Singapore
According to the Enlistment Act, conscription is mandatory for all "persons subject to [the] act", defined as those who are not less than 16.5 years of age and not more than 40 years of age, with some exemptions and with no specific bias to gender (not limited to males).
Bing Crosby on Armed Forces Radio in World War II
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the House and Senate required that all men in the age range 20 to 44 years inclusive, register for the draft and Crosby, who was then aged 38, duly did so. From interviews he gave around that time he fully expected to be called up. However, as a married man with dependents, he was a long way down the priority list for being drafted. Crosby wanted to do as much as possible for the war effort pending being drafted but it soon became evident that he was unlikely to be conscripted because of his age and his family. It does seem that he was very embarrassed at not being called up and it was evidently decided that he could do more to help the war effort by entertaining and boosting war bond sales than by being in uniform. Crosby’s embarrassment about his absence from the armed forces ended on December 5, 1942 when the War Dept. suspended induction of men 38 years of age or older.
Royal Marines
Royal Marines are required to undergo one of the longest and most physically demanding specialist infantry training regimes in the world. Recruit training lasts for 32 weeks for Marines and 60 weeks for officers. Potential recruits must be male and aged 16 to 32 (18 to 25 for Commissioned Officers); however by the end of 2018 women will be permitted to apply after the ban on women in Ground Close Combat roles was lifted in July 2016. and they must first undertake a series of interviews, medical tests, an eye/sight test, psychometric tests and a PJFT (Pre-joining fitness test). Once a potential recruit passes these, enlisted recruits undertake a 3-day selection course called PRMC (Potential Royal Marine Course) and potential officers undertake POC (Potential Officer Course) – both take place at the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines (CTCRM) in Lympstone, Devon. Officers must also take the Admiralty Interview Board (AIB). Upon passing the 3-day course, recruits then start basic recruit training (RT) at CTCRM. A large proportion of training is carried out on Dartmoor's inhospitable terrain and Woodbury Common woodland.
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award
The award was established in Korea in 2008 by Korea Youth Services Centre. The award is currently supported under The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, which is an organisation organised by the government. The applicants have to be in an age in between 14 and 25 years old. Anyone who is over 14 but under 25 can challenge for the bronze award, but the applicants have to be at least 15 years old to start the silver medal, as well as the gold medal starts from 16 years old. Despite the fact that there have been fewer than ten gold medal winners in eight years, there has been an exponential increase of the number of applicants in Korea. It reached its peak in 2011, which recorded 3,500 applicants and there are over 6,000 young people, who have completed their awards by 2015. Also, there are 17 organisations or associations that are supporting the award.
People's Liberation Army
Article 55 of the Constitution of the People's Republic of China prescribes conscription by stating: "It is a sacred duty of every citizen of the People's Republic of China to defend his or her motherland and resist invasion. It is an honoured obligation of the citizens of the People's Republic of China to perform military service and to join the militia forces." The 1984 Military Service Law spells out the legal basis of conscription, describing military service as a duty for "all citizens without distinction of race... and religious creed". This law has not been amended since it came into effect. Technically, those 18–22 years of age enter selective compulsory military service, with a 24-month service obligation. In reality, numbers of registering personals are enough to support all military posts in China, creating so-called "volunteer conscription".>
Sangguniang Kabataan
On January 15, 2016, the Sangguniang Kabataan Reform Law (Republic Act No. 10742) was signed into law which made some significant changes to the SK. It changed the age of the council from 15 to 17 years old to 18 to 24 years old and it forbids individuals from seeking a youth council appointment who are closer than the second degree of consanguinity (have the same grandparents) from any elected or appointed official in the same area. It is the first Philippine law with an anti-political dynasty restriction for elected positions, as permitted by the 1987 Philippine Constitution. The reform also created a Local Youth Development Council to support the SK programs composed of representatives from different youth organizations in the community including student councils, church and youth faith groups, youth-serving organizations, and community-based youth groups.
South Korea
The South Korean military consists of the Army (ROKA), the Navy (ROKN), the Air Force (ROKAF), and the Marine Corps (ROKMC), and reserve forces. Many of these forces are concentrated near the Korean Demilitarized Zone. All South Korean males are constitutionally required to serve in the military, typically 21 months. Previous exceptions for South Korean citizens of mixed race no longer apply since 2011.
Civil Air Patrol
Senior membership is open to all U.S. citizens, and U.S. legal permanent residents aged 18 and over who are able to pass an FBI background check. There is no upper age limit, nor membership restrictions for physical disabilities, due to the number of different tasks which members may be called on to perform. Cadet membership is open to those aged between 12 and 18 who maintain satisfactory progress in school, as determined by the cadet's unit commander; upon their 18th birthday, cadets may become senior members or remain in the Cadet Program until they are 21.
Workers' Party of Korea
The WPK has two types of membership: regular and probationary. Membership is open to those 18 years of age and older, and is granted
after the submission of an application (endorsed by two party members with at least two years in good standing) to a cell. The application is acted on by the cell's plenary session, and an affirmative decision is subject to ratification by a county-level party committee. After an application is approved a mandatory one-year probationary period may be waived under unspecified "special circumstances", allowing the candidate to become a full member. Recruitment is under the direction of the Organization and Guidance Department and its local branches.
Korean People's Army
The Young Red Guards are the youth cadet corps of the KPA for secondary level and university level students. Every Saturday, they hold mandatory 4-hour military training drills, and have training activities on and off campus to prepare them for military service when they turn 18 or after graduation, as well as for contingency measures in peacetime.
Kim Sung-il (general)
Kim Sung-il () is a former Chief of Staff of the Republic of Korea Air Force. He was born on August 24, 1948, and attended the Korea Air Force Academy and Korea National Defense University. He served as commander of the 11th Wing and the Aerospace Project Group, and later became the Director of Korea Defense Intelligence Agency, a position traditionally held by Army generals
History of the United States (1964–1980)
In 1972, Nixon announced the end of mandatory military service which had been in effect since the Korean War, and the final American citizen to be conscripted received his draft notice in June 1973. The president also secured the passage of the 26th Amendment, lowering the minimum age of voting from 21 to 18.
Kim Hyong-uk
Kim Hyong-uk (Hangul: 김형욱, Hanja:金炯旭, January 16, 1925 – c. October 8 1979) was a South Korean brigadier general who served as director of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency. Born in Hwanghae province, he left for the South after high school and was a classmate of future President Park Chung-hee at military academy, graduating in 1949. He was an infantry troop commander in the Korean War. He attended the United States Army Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia, in 1955. As colonel, he took part in the May 16 coup in 1961, when he led a group of soldiers to take Prime Minister John M. Chang into custody. He served for two years as Minister for Home Affairs in the junta and then was director of the KCIA from March 1963 to October 1969, where he was notorious for his brutality and corruption. After refusing to support Park's bid for a third term, he was replaced as head of the KCIA by Lee Hu-rak. Reportedly, at a meeting with Park, the President asked him, "why don't you take a rest after your long service?" - and on returning to his office, he discovered it had already been cleared out. In 1971, he became a member of the powerless parliament. Kim went into exile in the United States in 1973.
Conscription in South Korea
The basis for military conscription in South Korea is the Constitution of the Republic of Korea, which was promulgated on July 17, 1948. The constitution states in Article 39, "All citizens shall have the duty of national defense under the conditions as prescribed by Act." The Military Service Act of 1949, which was implemented in 1957, specified that compulsory military service is required for men ages 19 or older. Conscription is managed by the Military Manpower Administration, which was created in 1948.
Hugh Cha
In June 2007, Cha enlisted in the Republic of Korea Army to serve his mandatory military service at the age of 23.
Kansas State Guard
Members were required to be between the ages of twenty-one and fifty, with a higher age limit on certain officer positions. Although men who would be drafted into the federal military were not barred from admission, they were not actively recruited. The bulk of the force was composed of veterans of World War I, former National Guardsmen and other military veterans, and personnel with C.M.T.C. (Campus Military Training Corps) and R.O.T.C. experience. Despite its reliance on individuals with military experience, enlisted members received frequent weapons training during drills, and officers were required to complete an officer's training course taught in Topeka.
Donald Goines
At age 15, Goines lied about his age to join the Air Force and fought in the Korean War.
Army Ranger Wing
Prior to 2000 with The Troubles, approximately 85% of Ranger training had been dedicated to counter-terrorism. The average age of a Ranger is 31 years old with the eldest 44 years old. On average, a member of the ARW spends between 5 and 10 years serving with the unit before being returned to their home unit bringing their skills with them, but it is not uncommon for some to spend 15 years in the unit.
Korean Augmentation To the United States Army
To become a KATUSA, eligible Korean draftees who've demonstrated a minimum level of English-language proficiency by achieving minimum passing scores on standardized tests of English (TOEFL and TEPS), may apply through the Military Manpower Administration(MMA), upon which their name is entered into a lottery system. Typically, the minimum scores for getting into the lottery are 780 and over for TOEIC and 690 and over for TEPS. As the selection process is completely random, all eligible candidates have an equal chance of winning. Applicants may only apply once.
Coming of age
In the United States, teenagers are allowed to drive at 16 in all states except New Jersey, which requires drivers to be 17 and older, and sometimes receive the responsibility of owning their own car. Teenagers may drive at age 15 in Idaho and Montana. At 16, teenagers are also old enough to donate blood and work in most establishments. At 18 one is legally considered an adult and can vote and join the military. The legal age for purchasing and consuming alcohol and recreational marijuana, the latter of which is only legal in the District of Columbia, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Nevada, and Alaska, is 21. The legal age for purchasing and consuming tobacco products is 18 in most states; 19 in Alabama, Alaska and Utah; and 21 in California, New Jersey, Oregon, Hawaii and Maine. Multiple localities have also raised the minimum purchase age independent of state laws.
Kyu Ha Kim
Kyu Ha Kim (born in Daejeon, Korea, on February 24, 1935) is a South Korean judoka. He was the youngest judoka to get his kudan (9th degree black belt) and also a 9th degree black belt in taekwondo. He has been teaching for sixty years and is currently instructor at his Brentwood school and at the University of Pittsburgh. In June 2008, he became the oldest successful heart transplant recipient of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Pension policy in South Korea
Employees between the ages of 18 to 59 are covered under the workplace-based pension scheme and contribute 4.5% of their gross monthly earnings. The national pension covers employees who work in firms that employ five or more employees, fishermen, farmers, and the self-employed in both rural and urban areas. Employers are also covered under the workplace-based pension scheme and help cover their employees obligated 9% contribution by providing the remaining 4.5%. Anyone who is not employed, of the age of 60 or above, and excluded by article 6 of the National Pension Act but of the ages between 18 and 59, is covered under the individually insured pension scheme. Persons covered by the individually insured pension scheme are in charge of paying the entire 9% contribution themselves. Voluntarily insured persons are not subjected to mandatory coverage but can choose to be. This category comprises retirees who voluntarily choose to have additional benefits, individuals under the age of 27 without income, and individuals whose spouses are covered under a public welfare system, whether military, governmental, or private school teacher pensions. Like the Individually insured persons, they too are in charge of covering the full amount of the contribution. Voluntarily and continuously insured persons consists of individuals 60 years of age who want to fulfill the minimum insured period of 20 years to qualify for old age pension benefits. Excluding the workplace-based insured persons, all the other insured persons personally cover their own 9% contribution.
Cherprang Areekul
In July 2016, the 20-year-old Cherprang was attracted by the recruitment of members of BNK48, a new sister group of AKB48 in Thailand, but the applicants were required to be aged between 12–18 years only. The subsequent expansion of the age limit to 22 years enabled her application. When asked about what made her decide to become a member of an idol group, she said: "I'm a fan of AKB48. I wanted to know what my idols went through to become famous." She also said that her father initially disapproved of her working as an idol.
Conscription in South Korea
Current conscription regulations stipulate that athletes who win medals in the Olympic Games or gold medals in the Asian Games are granted exemptions from military service and are placed in Grade 4. They are required to do four weeks of basic military training and engage in sports field for 42 months. After that, they are automatically placed on the reserve roster, and are obligated to attend a few days of annual military training for six years. In practice, after athletes finish their four weeks of basic military training, they are able to continue their own sports career during the 34 months of duty.
Conscription in North Korea
Drafting usually takes place at age 17 after graduating from senior middle school. Economic, political, and health concerns are weighed when draft is decided on. Postponing military service is possible for some if they continue education in high school or college.
T.I.P. Crew
In May 2010, 3 members of T.I.P. were arrested for feigning mental illnesses to be exempt from the South Korean compulsory military service in which able-bodied men between the ages of 18-35 must serve in the military for a minimum of 2 years. The arrested crew members are Bboy Virus, Bboy Differ, and Bboy Random.
Conscription in North Korea
Conscription in North Korea occurs despite ambiguity concerning its legal status. Men are universally conscripted while females undergo selective conscription. Conscription takes place at age 17 and service ends at 30. Children of the political elites are exempt from conscription, as are people with bad "songbun" (ascribed social status in North Korea). Recruitment is done on the basis of annual targets drawn up by the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea and implemented locally by schools.
Conscription in Taiwan
According to the laws of the ROC, all male citizens 19 years of age on January 1 to 36 years of age on December 31 are obligated to render mandatory military service; they are considered draftees. Male individuals of conscription age are those who possess ROC citizenship and who are 19 years of age on January 1, and the calculation method is as follows: the current year minus the birth year yielding an answer of 19 and above is considered conscription age (e.g. 2006 – 1987 = 19). Draftees who were born between January 1 and December 31 in 1987 are considered as being 19 years of age from January 1 to December 31 of 2006.
Driving license in South Korea
Driving licenses in the Republic of Korea may be attained at age 16 for cars and motorcycles. South Korea is one of the few nations that issue International Driving Permits (IDP) to sixteen-year-olds. This was made possible by a South Korean law in 2009, which gave Military cadets the requirement of driving a motor-vehicle.
Soldier (The Salvation Army)
Many Christians (including Salvation Army adherents) object to the tradition of soldiership for various reasons. The most prominent objection is the age at which children may be enrolled, i.e.: 14 years of age, even though this is the age many young people in other denominations are confirmed in their faith and become officially members of the church. Such opponents argue that it is immoral or deceptive to ask a child to sign a lifelong covenant at that age, particularly when they are too young to legally engage in some of the activities singled out in the Articles of War (consuming alcohol, smoking, etc.). Consequently, it is common for Soldiers to revoke or break their covenants when they reach adulthood.
Peter Orlovsky
In 1953, Orlovsky was drafted into the United States Army for the Korean War at nineteen years old. Army psychiatrists ordered his transfer off the front to work as a medic in a San Francisco hospital. He later went to Columbia University.
Conscription in South Korea
For dual citizens, or those with multiple citizenships, male South Koreans must choose their citizenship by the time they turn 18, before March 31 of that year. If these males choose to revoke their South Korean citizenship, they will not be required to complete their mandatory military service. However, if they fail to choose their citizenship by their 18th year, they will be subjected to fulfill their mandatory military service.
If males choose to renounce their citizenship by their 18th year, they are ineligible to gain a Korean work visa (F series) until after they turn 40 years of age. It may still be possible to gain an E series visa.
United States Armed Forces
Prospective service members are often recruited from high school or college, the target age ranges being 18–35 in the Army, 18–28 in the Marine Corps, 18–34 in the Navy, 18–39 in the Air Force and 18–27 (up to age 32 if qualified for attending guaranteed "A" school) in the Coast Guard. With the permission of a parent or guardian, applicants can enlist at age 17 and participate in the Delayed Entry Program (DEP), in which the applicant is given the opportunity to participate in locally sponsored military activities, which can range from sports to competitions led by recruiters or other military liaisons (each recruiting station's DEP varies).
Military use of children in World War II
In World War II, the US only allowed men and women 18 years or older to be drafted or enlisted into the armed forces, although 17-year-olds were allowed to enlist with parental consent. Some successfully lied about their age. The youngest member of the United States military was 12-year-old Calvin Graham. He lied about his age when he enlisted in the US Navy, and his real age was not known until after he was wounded. The United States military was not the sole recruiter, albeit unintentionally or intentionally, of underage child soldiers during World War II.
Yeomen of the Guard
On appointment, Yeomen are over 42 years of age and under 55 years. They must have at least reached the rank of sergeant or equivalent. They must also have had at least 22 years' service and have been awarded the Army, Royal Navy or RAF Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (LS&GCM). On reaching the age of 70 years they become supernumerary and no longer are called for service. There are an average of four vacancies a year, which are filled by the Lord Chamberlain, who recommends the names to the Sovereign. The average age of active members is perhaps 60 years. Yeomen are (or were) exempt from jury service, received return railway warrants, and an allowance for meals and overnight accommodation where necessary.
Military service
The Military Service Act B.E. 2497 (1954) states that all male citizens of Thailand are obliged to serve in the military upon reaching 21 years of age. High school students have the option of enrolling in the three-year Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) during Matthayom 4–6 (i.e., Grade 10–12). ROTC students drill at a local military installation once per week during the school year for a total of 80 hours, with field training exercise at the end of the second year (over the duration 3 days) and third year (over the duration of 5 days). The ROTC program is operated nearly exclusively by the Royal Thai Army, with recent introductions by the Royal Thai Navy and Royal Thai Air Force, but both with more restrictions on entry (e.g. students of schools near a naval or air force base used for training only). Those who complete the three-year program are exempted from conscription and receive the rank of acting sergeant (E-6) upon graduation from high school. Students who do not complete the program or wish to enroll in the commissioned officer phase of the program can do so at their post-secondary institution. Those who do not complete the ROTC program will be required to report for conscription in early-April of the year in which they reach 21 years of age. 
Military service selection is done at a designated date and time at a local school or assembly hall. Each selection station has a quota for recruitment. The process begins with a call for volunteers. Those who volunteer will have the option to choose the branch of service and their date of induction. If the number of volunteers is fewer than the quota for the selection station, the remaining men will be asked to draw a card from an opaque box. The box contains red cards and black cards. Drawing a black card results in exemption from military service. Drawing a red card results in conscription in the branch of service and induction date on the card. 
Those who volunteer for military service are free to choose from the three branches of the armed forces (Royal Thai Army, Royal Thai Navy, Royal Thai Air Force). Service obligation varies by educational qualification. Those with a high school diploma or the equivalent and those who have one year of military service education are required to serve for two years if they draw the red card, but if these same individuals volunteer, the service obligation is reduced by half, i.e., reduced to only one year. Those with an associate degree (or equivalent) or higher are required to serve for one year if drafted, but the requirement is reduced to only six months if they volunteered. University students can defer their service as long as they maintain the student status until reaching the age of 27 or obtaining a master's degree or the equivalent, whichever comes first. Undergraduate and graduate students who decide to volunteer are allowed by their institution to put their studies on suspension until the end of term of service. All conscripts, regardless of educational qualification, undergo the same training and receive the same grade and rank upon completion of basic training: private, seaman, or airman (E-1).
Hong Kong Festival Orchestra
While HKFO does not have an official age restriction, the average age of its members range from 13 to 30 years of age, chosen through highly competitive annual auditions held locally and online. Prospective members may apply for membership as an instrumentalist, chorister or intern.
Korea Army Officer Candidate School
Korea Army Officer Candidate School (KAOCS, Hangul: 육군 학사사관, Hanja: 陸軍 學士士官) provides training to become a commissioned officer in the Republic of Korea Army. Korea Army Officer Candidate School was first proposed on 28 June 1981. Between 1981 and 2014, over 48,273 candidates were enrolled in 59 KAOCS classes and were commissioned as Second Lieutenants.
Elisha Cook Jr.
With regard to Cook's military service during World War II, he enlisted at the age of 38 in the United States Army on August 15, 1942, in Los Angeles, California. According to his enlistment record he stood 5-feet-5-inches tall and weighed 123 pounds. Cook's military record also documents that his highest level of education by that time was his completion of "3 years of high school". Many online references, however, state that he had attended "St. Albans College", "The Chicago Academy of Dramatic Art", and "The Chicago Academy of Fine Arts", which, it should be noted, had been renamed the Art Institute of Chicago in 1882. Those same references, though, do not provide any dates when Cook reportedly took classes at or graduated from those cited institutions.
National Defense Corps incident
On 11 December 1950, South Korea issued an act establishing the National Defense Corps. South Korean citizens aged 17 to 40, excluding military, police and government officials, were drafted into the National Defense Corps. The Syngman Rhee government adopted officers from Great Korean Youth Association (대한청년단; 大韓靑年團), which was a pro-Rhee Syngman group, into the Corps.
Reserve Officers' Training Corps (South Korea)
Reserve Officers' Training Corps (Hangul: ; Hanja: ) in South Korea is a college-based officer training program which was established in 1961. South Korea's Conscription Law applies to males, aged between 18 and 35, although women are allowed to enroll in the ROTC as of 2010.
Hee Il Cho
Cho was born in Pohang, Korea, on 13 October 1940, during the period of Japanese occupation. He was the eldest of three brothers. He began training in the martial arts when he was around 10 years old. In an interview, he commented on his childhood in Pohang, Korea: "Although they were not really gang members, young people used to roam from town to town and beat up kids and take away their toys. One time, I was beaten up by some boys around 12 or 13 years old. At the time I thought it was pretty bad, so I wanted to protect myself." Cho attained the rank of 1st "dan" black belt by the age of 13, and had reached 4th "dan" by the age of 21. In addition to taekwondo, he also trained in boxing for two years.
Kang Young-hoon
Kang was born in Changsong County, North Pyongan Province when Korea was under Japanese rule in 1922. He joined the National Defense Forces, a precursor to the Republic of Korea Army, shortly after his graduation from the Kenkoku University towards the end of World War II. He served as a division commander during the Korean War and a military attaché in the Embassy of South Korea, Washington, D.C. in 1952 before becoming Director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Ministry of National Defense in 1954. After a brief spell in the United States at the Army Command and General Staff College, Kang eventually reached the rank of Chungjang (Lieutenant General) and ended his career as the Superintendent of the Korean Military Academy in 1961, the same year as a bloodless military coup that he opposed. He was detained in Seodaemun Prison for his role against the coup.
Bae Sang-moon
Bae was embroiled in political controversy late 2014 after his work visa expired and he had yet to serve the compulsory twenty-one months in the South Korean military required of men age 18–35. By comparison, K. J. Choi and Y. E. Yang completed their military requirements before turning professional. Bae countered that he had residency in the U.S. and was exempt. In July 2015, a South Korean court ruled Bae spent too much time in South Korea to be exempt and must fulfill his military requirement. In response, the PGA Tour created a "Mandatory Obligation" category that would allow Bae to retain his exemption after completing his service, similar to the major medical exemption.
United States Marine Corps Women's Reserve
The qualifications for women who wished to become members of the Reserve were stringent. The eligibility requirements for officer candidates and enlisted women were similar: United States citizenship; not married to a marine; either single or married but with no children under 18; height not less than ; weight not less than ; good vision and good teeth. For enlisted members, the age limits were from 20 to 35, and an applicant was required to have at least two years' of high school. For officer candidates, the age limits were from 20 to 49, either a college graduate, or have a combination of two years' of college and two years' of work experience. Later, the wives of enlisted Marines were allowed to join, and enlisted women could marry after boot camp.
By way of agreement, the Navy and the Marine Corps designated the Navy's procurement offices as recruiting centers for both the WAVES and the Reserve. This helped to avoid competition in the recruiting of women for either naval service. Women applicants for either service would go to one office to enlist and to receive physical examinations. (Later on, the Reserve established its own recruiting capability.) When reservations surfaced about whether male Marine recruiters' could properly select female applicants for the Reserve, the call went out for women recruiters. Nineteen WAVE officer candidates volunteered; they were transferred and assigned to procurement offices. Still in WAVE uniforms, they began recruiting the first members of the Reserve. Lucile E. McClarren of Nemacolin, Pennsylvania, appears to have been the first enlisted woman recruited – 13 February 1943. The Reserve did not accept African American women or Japanese American women during the war years. The first Native American woman to enlist in the Reserve was Minnie Spotted-Wolf of Heart Butte, Montana; she did so in July 1943. Early recruiting was brisk, so much so that in some cases women were sworn in and put to work in procurement offices, delaying their training until later.
Hong Kong Adventure Corps
Officers
Other Ranks (Adult members)
Other Ranks (Cadets)
The age range for joining the HKAC is between 11 and 21, and new members are given the rank of Recruit. Recruits who attain sufficient training are qualified to the rank of Cadet after Passing Out Parade. Cadets may be promoted to the following ranks:
Gender inequality in South Korea
As a consequence of household inequalities, South Korean women are marrying later and having fewer children. A 2007 report by Center for Strategic and International Studies notes these trends are "in many ways the worst of both worlds. Korea now has a lower fertility rate than any developed country and one of the lowest rates of female labor-force participation — 60% for women aged 25 to 54 versus 75% in the USA and 76% in the EU." The percentage of Korean women who say it is “necessary” to have children declined from 90% in 1991 to 58% in 2000. In 1970, the average age of first marriage for females was 23; by 2005 it was almost 28. The report shows that traditional Korean family and workplace cultures must change in order to prevent serious economic and societal problems due to extremely low fertility rates.
Coming of age
In Korea, citizens are permitted to marry, vote, drive, drink alcohol, and smoke at age 19.
Military service
In Turkey, compulsory military service applies to all male citizens from twenty to forty-one years of age (with some exceptions). Those who are engaged in higher education or vocational training programs prior to their military drafting are allowed to delay service until they have completed the programs, or reach a certain age, depending on the program (e.g. 29 years of age for undergraduate degrees). The duration of the basic military service varies. As of July 2013, the reduced durations are as follows: twelve months for privates (previously fifteen months), twelve months for reserve officers (previously sixteen months) and six months for short-term privates, which denotes those who have earned a university degree and have not been enlisted as reserve officers (previously eight months).
British Army
The minimum age is 16 (after the end of GCSEs), although soldiers under 18 may not serve in operations. The maximum recruitment age is 35 years and 6 months, and the maximum age for Army Reserve soldiers is 49 years old, . A soldier would traditionally enlist for a term of 22 years, although recently there has been a shift towards 12-year terms with a 22-year option. A soldier is not normally permitted to leave until they have served for at least four years, and must give 12 months' notice.
Maya Bouskilla
Bouskilla claimed to still be religious when she was called up for mandatory service at the age of 18 and received a deferment. In April 2008, after criticism of her draft-dodging, Bouskilla voluntarily enlisted to the Israeli military for a short period, reportedly so she could set a good example for other young Israeli women. Her enlistment at the age of 30 made her one of the oldest new recruits ever to join the Israel Defense Forces.
Military service
Conscription occurs in North Korea despite ambiguity concerning its legal status. Men are universally conscripted while females undergo selective conscription. Conscription takes place at age 17 and service ends at 30. Children of the political elites are exempt from conscription, as are people with bad "songbun" (ascribed social status in North Korea). Recruitment is done on the basis of annual targets drawn up by the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea and implemented locally by schools.
South Korea
Employees between the ages of 18 to 59 are covered under the workplace-based pension scheme and contribute 4.5% of their gross monthly earnings. The national pension covers employees who work in firms that employ five or more employees, fishermen, farmers, and the self-employed in both rural and urban areas. Employers are also covered under the workplace-based pension scheme and help cover their employees obligated 9% contribution by providing the remaining 4.5%. Anyone who is not employed, of the age of 60 or above, and excluded by article 6 of the National Pension Act but of the ages between 18 and 59, is covered under the individually insured pension scheme. Persons covered by the individually insured pension scheme are in charge of paying the entire 9% contribution themselves. Voluntarily insured persons are not subjected to mandatory coverage but can choose to be. This category comprises retirees who voluntarily choose to have additional benefits, individuals under the age of 27 without income, and individuals whose spouses are covered under a public welfare system, whether military, governmental, or private school teacher pensions. Like the Individually insured persons, they too are in charge of covering the full amount of the contribution. Voluntarily and continuously insured persons consists of individuals 60 years of age who want to fulfill the minimum insured period of 20 years to qualify for old age pension benefits. Excluding the workplace-based insured persons, all the other insured persons personally cover their own 9% contribution.
Kimilsungist-Kimjongilist Youth League
The Kimilsungist-Kimjongilist Youth League () is a North Korean youth organization. It is the main youth organization in North Korea. Directly under the party Central Committee, it is the only mass organization expressly mentioned in the charter of the Workers' Party of Korea. Youth under 15 may join the Young Pioneer Corps, itself a part of the larger Korean Children's Union. The organization, modeled after the Komsomol in the former Soviet Union, includes all North Koreans without party membership between the ages of 15 and 30, although married women who opt to become housewives are transferred to the Socialist Women's Union.
Conscription in North Korea
In 1958, North Korea adopted Cabinet Decision number 148 to define service of conscripts as three and a half years in the army and four years in the navy. In 1993, service was expanded to ten years on the orders of Kim Jong-il. In 1996, conscription was further extended and conscripts will now have to serve until they are aged 30. According to some sources, more recently conscription is codified in a law adopted by the 10th Supreme People's Assembly in 2003.
Age requirements in gymnastics
By the late 1970s, Federations occasionally requested permission to allow slightly underage athletes to compete as seniors. One such example is that of Canadian gymnast Karen Kelsall, who legally competed in the 1976 Olympics at the age of 13. At the time, gymnasts had to turn 14 by the start of the Games to be eligible. Kelsall, with her December 1962 birthday, was five months shy of the requirement but was turning 14 within the Olympic year, and was granted a special exemption by the FIG to compete. Such exemptions were not automatic, however: American gymnast Tracee Talavera, who was named to the United States team for the 1979 World Championships, was deemed ineligible to compete due to her age of 12½ years.
State defense force
Some state defense forces have minimal enlistment requirements, permitting virtually any citizen under a prescribed age (usually 66) to join, even if they have no previous military experience, or don't meet conventional military physical standards (California, for instance, requires no physical fitness test prior to entry and has weight/height standards significantly more relaxed than the U.S. military).
Mohanlal
In 2008, while filming for "Kurukshetra", in which he plays the role of an Indian Army officer, Mohanlal expressed his interest to join the Territorial Army of India. But he could not, as men above the age of 42 are not eligible to join the volunteer force. On 9 July 2008, he was formally inducted to the Territorial Army in the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel by then Army Chief Deepak Kapoor. He is the first actor to receive the honour. In 2012, he was bestowed with an honorary title of Black belt in Taekwondo from Kukkiwon, South Korea. He is the first South Indian actor to be honoured with the title.
Militia (United States)
All able bodied men, 17 to 45 of age, are ultimately eligible to be called up into military service and belong to the class known as the reserve militia, also known as the unorganized militia (10 USC). Able bodied men who are not eligible for inclusion in the reserve militia pool are those aliens not having declared their intent to become citizens of the United States (10 USC 246) and former regular component veterans of the armed forces who have reached the age of 64 (32 USC 313). All female citizens who are members of National Guard units are also included in the reserve militia pool ().
Korea
In ancient Chinese texts, Korea is referred to as "Rivers and Mountains Embroidered on Silk" (, ) and "Eastern Nation of Decorum" (, ). Individuals are regarded as one year old when they are born, as Koreans reckon the pregnancy period as one year of life for infants, and age increments increase on New Year's Day rather than on the anniversary of birthdays. Thus, one born immediately before New Year's Day may only be a few days old in western reckoning, but two years old in Korea. Accordingly, a Korean person's stated age (at least among fellow Koreans) will be one or two years more than their age according to western reckoning. However, western reckoning is sometimes applied with regard to the concept of legal age; for example, the legal age for purchasing alcohol or cigarettes in the Republic of Korea is 19, which is measured according to western reckoning.
Korea Army Academy at Yeongcheon
Korea Army Academy (Yeongcheon) or KAAY is a military academy of the Republic of Korea Army for the training of officer cadets. Commonly known as "Choongsungdae" (, Hanja: 忠誠臺) as a reference to its loyalty and devotion to the country, it produces the largest number of junior officers in the Korean Army. The current Superintendent of the Academy is Major General Jeongyeol Seo.
Korean Augmentation To the United States Army
Korean Augmentation To the United States Army (KATUSA
Korean: ) is a branch of Republic of Korea Army which consists of Korean drafted personnel who are augmented to the Eighth United States Army (EUSA). KATUSA does not form an individual military unit, instead small numbers of KATUSA members are dispatched throughout the most of the Eighth United States Army departments, filling in positions for the United States Army enlisted soldiers and junior non-commissioned officers. KATUSAs are drafted from pool of qualified volunteers who are subjected to mandatory military service for Korean male citizens. While ROK Army holds the responsibility for personnel management of KATUSAs, KATUSA members are equipped with standard United States Army issues, and live and work with the U.S. enlisted soldiers. This kind of augmentation is unique throughout the entire United States Army worldwide, because KATUSA program was developed during Korean War as a temporary measure to cope with a shortage of personnel in the United States Army.
Kim Jang-soo
General (Ret.) Kim Jang-soo, ROKA, was the 37th Chief of Staff of the Republic of Korea Army and the 40th Republic of Korea Minister of National Defense. He was a Grand National Party Representative in the National Assembly of South Korea from 2008 to 2012.
General Kim graduated the Republic of Korea Military Academy in 1971. He graduated Korea National Defense University in 1988, then he earned master's degree in Arts at Graduate School of Public Administration, Yonsei University in 1989.
Lim Tae-hoon
Lim Tae-hoon (; born 9 October 1975 in Yeongju, South Korea) is a human rights defender and lecturer of Kangwon University. He has been committed to women, youth, homosexuals issues along with rights of conscientious objection, soldiers, conscripted police, riot police and so on. He was the first head of Solidarity for LGBT Huamn Rights of Korea (http://www.lgbtpride.or.kr/) from 1998 to 2002. From 2004 to 2005, he was imprisoned for his conscientious objection to the military service of the Rep. of Korea which classifies homosexuality as a type of mental disorder and criminalizes consented homosexual intercourse by Article 92 of Military Criminal Act. The Amnesty International endowed the status of conscientious objector to him for this activity. After that he continued human rights activities related to the military issues. Then in 2009 finally he established the Center for Military Human Rights Korea(CMHRK, www.mhrk.org); he is a current representative. CMHRK focuses on counseling victims of human rights infringement cases within the military including sexual violence, bullying and beating. He was awarded for revealing the truth of late PFC Yoon's death case from the National Council of Churches in Korea(NCCK) in 2014.
International adoption of South Korean children
An archived web page of the Bureau of Consular Affairs website that said that it was last updated in 2009 said that US couples who wanted to adopt Korean children needed to meet certain requirements. The web page said that the couples needed to be between 25 and 44 years old with an age difference between spouses of no more than 15 years, the couples needed to be married for three years, the couples needed to have an income higher than the US national average, and the couples could not already have more than five children. The web page said that US couples had to pay a fee between $9,500 and $10,000 to adopt a Korean child, and the web page said that it took one to four years after applying for the adopted Korean child to arrive in the United States. The web page said that the wait time after applying for US couples who wanted to adopt was about three years for a healthy Korean child and one year for a Korean child with special needs.
Korean idol
Hundreds of candidates each day attend the global auditions held by Korean entertainment agencies to perform for the chance of becoming a trainee. Auditions include public auditions and closed auditions. Others are street-cast or scouted without auditioning, based on looks or potential talent. Those who successfully pass this audition stage are offered long-term contracts with the entertainment company. There are no age limits to becoming a trainee; thus is not uncommon for trainees, and even debuted idols, to be very young.
Global Entry
In Korea, Smart Entry Service is the automated immigration clearance system. Korean citizens aged 7 or above, all foreigners residing in Korea aged 17 or above, US citizens aged 17 or above who are not residing in Korea and participating in Global Entry, and Hong Kong and Macau electronic passport holders aged 17 or above are eligible for the programme. Korean citizens who registered their fingerprints are exempted from pre-registration. US dual citizens holding Korean citizenship must use their Korean passports to use the programme. US citizens with a valid Korean visa must use their Alien Registration Card to participate in the programme and are exempted from the Global Entry prerequisite. It uses both facial recognition and fingerprinting technology.
Wesley L. Fox
When the Korean War began, inspired by the military service of his cousins in World War II, Fox enlisted in the Marine Corps on August 4, 1950, shortly before his 19th birthday. He intended to serve for four years and then return to the farm. He completed recruit training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina in October 1950.
After a brief tour as a rifleman with the 2nd Marine Division at Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, he was sent to Korea.
Special Deployment Commando
Any state police officer is eligible to apply for service in a SEK unit, but it is common only to consider applications from officers with at least three years of duty experience. The age limit is mostly between 23 and 35 years, whilst operatives have to leave the entry teams when they reach the age of 42 (or 45 in some states). Both sexes can be recruited; however, only a few policewomen have been able to handle the extensive and challenging tests.
South Korean nationality law
Separate from the Nationality Law, the Overseas Koreans Law defines the term "Overseas Korean" as referring to South Korean nationals who reside overseas as well as "Koreans with a Foreign Nationality." The latter group is composed of former South Korean nationals who gave up their South Korean nationality (but barring those who did so to deliberately evade military service, at least until age 36) and children and grandchildren of former South Korean nationals. It is important to note that not every descendant of a South Korean can be counted as an "Overseas Korean" or "Korean with a Foreign Nationality" under this law. For example, a 25-year-old man who was born a South Korean national overseas but whose birth was unreported will have no documentation to prove his status as a former South Korean national, and can only gain status as an Overseas Korean if one of his parents or grandparents gave up South Korean nationality. Also, those who fall under Article 7 of the Addenda (Special Cases of Acquisition of Nationality for Persons of Maternal Line By Adoption of Jus Sanguinis to Both Lines of Parents) but failed to acquire South Korean nationality are not able to gain the status of an Overseas Korean unless the mother or a maternal grandparent has lost South Korean nationality.
Children in the military
In 2001 the government of Bolivia acknowledged that children as young as 14 may have been forcibly conscripted into the armed forces during recruitment sweeps. About 40% of the Bolivian army was believed to be under the age of 18, with half of those below the age of 16. , Bolivia invites children to begin their adult conscription early, from age 17.
Korean War
In addition, a large number of mixed-race "G.I. babies" (offspring of U.S. and other UN soldiers and Korean women) were filling up the country's orphanages. Because Korean traditional society places significant weight on paternal family ties, bloodlines, and purity of race, children of mixed race or those without fathers are not easily accepted in South Korean society. International adoption of Korean children began in 1954. The U.S. Immigration Act of 1952 legalized the naturalization of non-blacks and non-whites as U.S. citizens, and made possible the entry of military spouses and children from South Korea after the Korean War. With the passage of the Immigration Act of 1965, which substantially changed U.S. immigration policy toward non-Europeans, Koreans became one of the fastest-growing Asian groups in the United States.
Military recruitment
State armed forces set minimum and maximum ages for recruitment. In practice, most military recruits are young adults; for example, in 2013 the average age of a United States Army soldier beginning initial training was 20.7 years.
Kerry and Kay Danes
WO Kerry Danes (born 21 October 1958 Longreach, Queensland) resumed Australian military service after leaving Laos in 2001. His known overseas postings include Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and the West Bank. The compulsory retirement age for Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel is 60 years and 65 years for reservists. However, there is provision for the Minister for Defence or the Chief of the Defence Force to extend the compulsory retirement age for either a specific officer or member or a class of officers or members. Images of Danes can be viewed online, but these pictures appear to be either subject to copyright or are on websites that Wikipedia has blacklisted, such as Change.org: a for-profit site on which organisations pay to host and promote their petitions.
Young-Oak Kim
The U.S. Army refused his enlistment for the same reason. But after the U.S. Congress enacted a law subjecting Asian Americans to conscription, Kim was drafted into the Army. He entered service on January 31, 1941, three months before his father died.
Age requirements in gymnastics
Hong Su Jong (North Korea), the 2007 World Championships silver medalist on vault, was investigated for age discrepancies in 2010. Hong competed at the 2004 Olympics with a March 9, 1985, birth date, but participated in subsequent Asian Games and World Championships meets with a 1986 year of birth. Her 2010 F.I.G. license and 2010 Worlds registration indicated that she was born in 1989. The F.I.G. responded in October 2010 by provisionally banning North Korea from competition for one month, which effectively barred them from the 2010 World Championships. In November 2010, the F.I.G. extended the ban until October 5, 2012, fined the North Korean Federation $20,800, and banned Hong from competing even in national competition within North Korea.
Age of candidacy
In North Korea, any person eligible to vote in elections to the Supreme People's Assembly is also eligible to stand for candidacy. The age for both voting and candidacy is 17.
Lofty Large
Large joined the British Army as a "band boy" at the age of 15. Unable to join his county regiment (the Gloucestershire Regiment) because of a lack of vacancies, he instead joined the Wiltshire Regiment, with whom he served for five years in England, Germany and Hong Kong. During this time he was given the nickname "Lofty", having reached his adult height of 6 feet inches (1.975m). In 1951, by requesting a transfer to the Gloucestershire Regiment, Large volunteered to fight in the Korean War. After a combat training course in Japan, he was deployed to the front line.
United States Army Recruiting Command
Although the STASA was extended after the war, it ended on 31 March 1947, and the Army had to turn to recruiting volunteers again, requiring and estimated 30,000 volunteers a month, but seeing only 12,000 enlisting.
With the Cold War looming, the Congress authorised the Selective Service Act of 1948 to enable President Truman to provide for 21 months of active Federal service, with all men from ages 18 to 26 required to register. This Act was extended due to the start of the Korean War, and replaced by the Universal Military Training and Service Act of 1951 by revising the earlier Act. 
The new Act extended the president’s authority to induct citizens for four years, granted him the authority to recall reservists, lowered the draft age to 18, lengthened the term of service to two years, and cancelled deferments for married men without children.
With the end of the Korean War, the draft remained in force, but became increasingly unpopular although it continued to encourage volunteers and selected the bare minimum of annual recruits. Repeatedly renewed by overall majorities in Congress in 1955, 1959, and 1963, its final extension in 1967 was also passed by a majority of Congress, but only after a year of hearings and public debate. The U.S. Army became an all-volunteer force again in 1973. During the years of the Vietnam War between From 1965 to 1973, there were 1,728,254 inductions through selective service. There was however a direct effect on public support for the draft that was high even after the Korean War to its low in early 1970s because 
Draftees, who constituted only 16 percent of the armed forces, but 88 percent of infantry soldiers in Vietnam, accounted for over 50 percent of combat deaths in 1969, a peak year for casualties. Little wonder that the draft became the focus of anti-Vietnam activism.
With these political consequences in mind in 1969 President Nixon appointed a commission, led by former Secretary of Defense Thomas Gates, "to develop a comprehensive plan for eliminating conscription and moving toward an All Volunteer Armed Force." However, even before this commission submitted its report on 13 May 1969, President Nixon informed the Congress that he intended to institute a reform that would see the draftees replaced with volunteers in his Special Message to Congress on Reforming the Military Draft. In February 1970, the Gates Commission released its favorable AVF report, which stated that 
"We unanimously believe that the nation’s interests will be better served by an all-volunteer force, supported by an effective stand-by draft, than by a mixed force of volunteers and conscripts; that steps should be taken promptly to move in this direction."
Facilitating the transition to an all-volunteer force, the Army created District Recruiting Commands (DRC) through the continental United States to direct the efforts of its recruiters among the civilian population. The DRC's became "Battalions" in 1983.
Republic of Korea Army Special Warfare Command
The special forces operators within the Republic of Korea Special Warfare Command serve longer than the usual military conscripts within the ROKA. The service term lasts 4 years and 3 months in comparison with the usual 1 year and 9 months for a typical conscript in the regular army. This includes the 3 months of training that all recruits must undergo before becoming attached to a specific brigade. Those who wish to remain in service for longer than the set term may do so. 
During the first month of training, recruits will have to undergo a strenuous physical test to ensure they are physically capable of fulfilling their role. This will include 25km runs across mountainous terrain with a 30kg load out under timed conditions as well as daily fitness regimes to weed out physically incapable recruits. Firearms training and weapons handling training will naturally be integrated throughout the 3-month training period. Due to the nature of the Korean warfare tactics, operators will be taught two main methods of infiltration into North Korea: aerial infiltration and naval infiltration which includes, for example, High Altitude Low Opening (HALO) training and SCUBA training. The aim of this part of the training is to make the operators as versatile as possible to ensure that they can tackle the difficult Korean terrain. On the ground they will undergo mountaineering training as well as survival training which involves them surviving without communications and limited supplies for up to a week. Resistance to interrogation training is also employed by the organization. This has led to several deaths such as one recruit dying from suffocation while being put in a typical stress position for several hours during captivity training. Moreover, sub-zero training is enforced during the winter which involves recruits being fully submerged in ice-cold water and carrying out physical training drills in the snow without their tops.
Lim Hyung-joo
Lim Hyung Joo released his first solo album at the age of 12 in 1998. He made his debut as popera tenor at the age of 17 years in 2003. On February 25 that year, at the inauguration day of the 16th president of Republic of Korea, he was the youngest person to sing the national anthem of Korea. His performance had been aired abroad. In addition, Lim Hyung Joo had a first solo concert abroad in June 2003, at the New York's Carnegie Hall. He was the youngest Korean male vocalist to give a solo concert in that venue. The performance was very highly received.
Militia (United States)
The current United States Code, Title 10 (Armed forces), section 246 (Militia: Composition and Classes), paragraph (a) states: "The militia of the United States consists of all able-bodied males at least 17 years of age and, except as provided in section 313 of title 32, under 45 years of age who are, or who have made a declaration of intention to become, citizens of the United States and of female citizens of the United States who are members of the National Guard." Section 313 of Title 32 refers to persons with prior military experience. ("Sec. 313. Appointments and enlistments: age limitation
Roy Chung
Chung and his family were South Korean immigrants who arrived in the United States in 1973. According to his father, Chung Soo-oh, he had joined the Army to get education benefits. He disappeared and was reported AWOL on June 5, 1979 while serving with his unit near Bayreuth, West Germany (about 30 miles (48 kilometers) from the borders of Czechoslovakia and East Germany). After 30 days he became classified as a deserter. He was 22 and a Private First Class.
Ages of consent in the United States
Article 120 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (10 U.S.C. § 920), to which essentially only members of the United States Armed Services and enemy prisoners of war are subject, defines the age of consent as sixteen years in subsection but allows an exemption for people who are married to minors 12–15 years old. There is also a mistake-in-age defense if the minor is over 12, but not if the minor is under 12. Within the United States, United States servicemembers are further subject to the local state law both when off-post. The local state law is incorporated, for the most part, into federal law when on-post per the Assimilative Crimes Act (). Depending upon the relevant status of forces agreement, United States servicemembers are also subject to the local criminal laws of the host nation for acts committed off-post.
Myanmar Army
In 2011, following transition from military junta government to civilian parliamentary government, the Myanmar Army enacted a military draft for all citizens, all males from the age 18 to 35 and all females age between 18 and 27 years of age can be drafted into military service for two years as enlisted personnel in time of national emergency. The ages for professionals are up to 45 for men and 35 for women for three years service as commissioned and non-commissioned officers.
Military reserve force
With universal conscription, most of the male population may be reservists. In Finland, all men belong to the reserve until 60 years of age, and 80% of each age cohort are drafted and receive at least six months of military training. Ten percent of conscripts are trained as reserve officers. Reservists and reserve officers are occasionally called up for refresher exercises, but receive no monthly salary or position. South Korean males who finish their national service in the armed forces or in the national police are automatically placed on the reserve roster, and are obligated to attend a few days of annual military training for seven years.
Kim Chin-kyung
Kim wanted to join the South Korean army when the Korean War broke out in 1950, but was initially rejected since he was too young. After having signed a petition with his own blood he was allowed to join a student battalion, however, where he was one of only 17 survivors out of 800 fighters. This caused him to vow spending his life's forces to work for the best of people's lives among his then enemies, the Chinese and the North Koreans. He went to Seoul for schooling and education, and then studied in Bristol, England, before moving onwards to Florida, working in business while also pursuing an academic degree in economics.
Kim Jong-gak
Kim Jong-gak was born in Jungsan County, South Phyongan Province on 30 July 1941, and joined the Korean People's Army in August 1959. and later served in a number of capacities such as battalion commander, deputy commander of an army corps, chief of staff and head of a training center. He joined the Party leadership in December 1991, when he was appointed an alternate member of the WPK Central Committee at the 19th Plenary Meeting of the 6th Central Committee. In 1992 his duties grew again: in April, during Kim Il-sung's 80th birthday, he was promoted to colonel-general, and in December he was appointed vice-minister of the People's Armed Forces.
Youth unemployment in South Korea
According to OECD, the youth unemployment rate (total % of youth labor force aged 15–24 year old) in Republic of Korea(ROK) is as follows: 10.2% in 2001, 8.5% in 2002, 10.05% in 2003, 10.43% in 2004, 10.15% in 2005, 9.95% in 2006, 8.79% in 2007, 9.27% in 2008, 9.84% in 2009, 9.77% in 2010, 9.61% in 2011, 8.99% in 2010, 9.34% in 2013, 10.03% in 2014, 10.52% in 2015, 10.68% in 2016. More specifically, the unemployment rate (total % of youth labor force aged 25–29 year old) has been steadily rising from 6.1% in 2001 to 9.2% in 2016. While, the total unemployment rate (total % of youth labor force aged 15 to 29) has been also steadily rising from 7.9% in 2001 to 9.8% in 2016. In terms of youth inactivity, 7.7% is looking for jobs or attending job training programs while 3.1% are purely inactive, not working, having education nor attending job training programs.
One of the youth unemployment issues in South Korea is youth inactiveness, where there are growing numbers of inactive youth, defined as the NEET(Not in Education Employment or Training). 
The youth in South Korea prefer high education to increase and develop their employability in the labor market rather than seeking jobs, which leads them to become inactive. The reaffirming factors that reduce the chance of employment include: socioeconomic status, household characteristics, and family income. Since 2009, the size of youth NEET is about 20%, higher than the OECD average. Although the proportion of NEET non-job seekers decreased, job seekers of NEET increased. Since 2015, the NEET unemployed remained high, overtaking NEET inactive. These youth NEET are categorizable into income groups, where the highest was low income household, and the lowest was the high income household. The NEET rate of low income youth is 37.7% in 2014, while that of high income is only 9.5% in 2014.
Marriage in South Korea
Marriage in South Korea is currently restricted to unions between individuals of the opposite sex as same-sex marriages remain unrecognized. Males over 18 and females over 16 years old may marry with their parents' or guardians' consent, Otherwise South Korea's age of consent to marriage is 20. 20 years of age is also the age of consent for sexual activity. These age limits refer to one's lunar calendar based age, which tend to be one or two years greater than one's solar age. South Korea also recognizes what it calls "De Facto Marriages" equivalent to "Common Law Marriages" of couples who have not legally registered their marriage but who have either 1. made it publicly known that their relationship is akin to a marriage, 2. had a public wedding ceremony, or 3. have been cohabiting as though they are married.
Republic of Korea public service examinations
The Korean civil service exams are used to select applicants for the Korean Civil Service at the ninth (new entry) rank. Following recruitment, promotion is based primarily on seniority, except for a number of direct entry recruitments at the seventh and fifth rank, through the passing of the seventh and fifth rank examinations (). For those passing the exam and entering the service at the fifth rank, this is equivalent to 25 years of seniority working from the bottom up.
National Youth Assembly of Korea
The National Youth Assembly of the Republic of Korea (Youth Assembly) is the main national youth parliament under supervisions by the National Assembly of Korea and with authorities to introduce legislation directly to full sessions and committees of the National Assembly. This National Youth Assembly has a chairperson and members of the Assembly whom to be elected by registered voters between 13-25 ages.
Military sociology
De Soir suggests there are seven stages in the way partners of married personnel experience stress before, during and after deployment.In the United States, almost half of the enlisted force is below 25 for both men and women with the average age being 27. The trend of youth is perpetuated by the fact that most people enter into the service at 18 years of age and leave after only a few years. This creates a situation in which those with college experience are underrepresented in military as they only make up 8.5% of the military force. Youth inclusion in armed conflict is not a new concept or one restricted to large well organized forces such as the United States military. In various societies over time, youth has been prized in armed conflict. Such instances include the Dinka of the Sudan, boys who received spears as an initiation rite between sixteen and eighteen years of age, the nineteenth-century Cheyenne who joined their first war parties when they were about fourteen, and the female warriors of Dahomey who were recruited between nine and fifteen. During the American Civil War, it has been estimated that between 250,000 and 420,000 soldiers under 18 years of age served in Union and Confederate armies, which yields somewhere between 10 and 20 percent of recruits. During these earlier periods youth was not looked upon in the context of innocence as it is framed today, rather children were seen as naturally existing with adults, as they frequently coexisted with them through apprenticeships and other work. It was not until formal education became more widespread that a change in attitudes towards youth develop, and consequently a prolongation of the perceived youth period.
Korea under Japanese rule
Starting in 1944, Japan started the conscription of Koreans into the armed forces. All Korean males were drafted to either join the Imperial Japanese Army, as of April 1944, or work in the military industrial sector, as of September 1944. Before 1944, 18,000 Koreans passed the examination for induction into the army. Koreans provided workers to mines and construction sites around Japan. The number of conscripted Koreans reached its peak in 1944 in preparation for war. From 1944, about 200,000 Korean males were inducted into the army.
Michael Heseltine
Heseltine later wrote that he admired the military, for his father had been a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Royal Engineers in the Second World War and active in the Territorial Army thereafter, but that he had felt that his business career was too important to be disrupted. He and his father had taken the precaution of arranging interviews to increase his chances of attaining an officer's commission in case he had to serve. He had been lucky not to be called up for the Korean War in the early 1950s or the Suez Crisis in 1956; and in the final years of National Service, already due for abolition by 1960, an effort was made to call up men who had so far managed to postpone service. Despite having almost reached maximum call-up age, recently reduced from thirty to twenty-six, Heseltine was conscripted into the Welsh Guards in January 1959.
Army Foundation College
In view of developing children's rights standards and evidence showing a detrimental impact of military training and employment on younger recruits, several bodies, including the Children's Commissioners for each of the four nations of the UK and the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, have also called on the armed forces to raise the minimum age of enlistment to 18.
Military personnel
Most personnel at the start of their military career are young adults. For example, in 2013 the average age of a United States Army soldier beginning initial training was 20.7 years. Historically, the use of children under the age of 18 for military purposes has been widespread - see Children in the military - but has been in decline in the 21st century. According to Child Soldiers International, as of 2017 approximately two-thirds of states worldwide had committed to restrict military recruitment to adults, while 50 states were still recruiting personnel aged 16 or 17, including most of the world's major military powers.
OMON
Members of OMON are required to achieve a high level of fitness and expertise in small arms and hand-to-hand combat. Males between the ages of twenty-two and thirty who have completed their two-year military service can apply to join OMON. The application includes medical and psychological tests, and tests of speed and fitness. The initial training lasts for four months. The applicants are extensively trained in the use of different weaponry and close combat, and are also trained to follow orders at any cost. Special emphasis is put on urban combat and the entering and clearing of buildings. The training also includes legal training. The application procedure closes with a final test, where the applicant has to fight three to five trained members of OMON by hand wearing boxing gloves. Fewer than one in five applicants pass and are selected to join.
Kampuchean People's Revolutionary Armed Forces
Military service was compulsory in the People's Republic of Kampuchea. Cambodian males between the ages of eighteen and thirty-five faced an obligation to serve in the armed forces for five years, an increase from three years was made in 1985 because of personnel shortages in the country. Recruitment councils made up of party and government officials existed at all administrative levels; they may have performed functions, principally the selection of eligible youths to be inducted into the military services, similar to those of local United States Selective Service Boards. The establishment of these recruitment councils may have supplanted the earlier press-gang tactics of KPRAF units who, according to refugee accounts, had forcibly rounded up Khmer youths and had inducted them en masse into the armed forces. In spite of this bureaucratic innovation, however, draft dodging was reported to be widespread, a situation that was acknowledged obliquely by the government and party media in their unrelenting emphasis on recruitment and on the patriotic duty of serving in the armed forces. It was not known whether or not Khmer youths themselves could elect to serve in the main, provincial, or local force, or whether or not a quota system prevailed.
Combat Groups of the Working Class
Men between the ages of 25 to 60 were eligible for armed service while women were eligible for other roles, mainly used in the medical and supply services. Men under 25-years-old, if they were not performing compulsory military service in the National People's Army, could join the paramilitary Society for Sport and Technology (GST) until reaching the age for KdA membership. Membership was voluntary, although SED members were required to join the KdA as part of their party obligation. Non-SED members were compelled to join by the Free German Trade Union Federation (FDGB), and recruitment was accomplished by the SED branches in the workplaces.