Hwang Hee, "6,531 soldiers have been discharged from the military service in the past 5 years."

Hwang Hee of the Democratic Party of Korea, a member of the National Assembly's National Defense Committee, said a total of 6,531 people were discharged from the military service from 2020 to August this year.

By rank, there were 6,172 soldiers, 174 officers and 185 noncommissioned officers, followed by 5,406 in the Army, 520 in the Air Force, 328 in the Marine Corps, and 277 in the Navy.

Public health doctors who are deployed to vulnerable areas such as farming and fishing villages to treat patients were also released as volunteer soldiers during the same period.

Rep. Hwang Hee emphasized the need for careful safety management measures, saying that it is a great loss for soldiers to be discharged from the military due to illness while serving at a time when military service resources are decreasing.