The 'Eyes' That Track North Korean Submarines Are Leaving: 32 Leave the Service for Every 13 Recruited
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- 2026-10-07 16:38:53
- Updated
- 2026-10-07 16:38:53
On the 7th, according to data submitted by the Navy to Kim Byung-joo, a Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker who serves as the president's special adviser on defense policy, the aviation allowance for noncommissioned officers who operate maritime patrol aircraft has been frozen at 280,000 won a month for 20 years, since 2006. This contrasts with the roughly 40% increase over the same period in allowances for submarine and surface-ship crew members at the master chief petty officer rank.
Personnel losses are also accelerating. Over the past three years, 34 operators were newly recruited, while 62 left the service. The long-term service application rate also fell by 33 percentage points in just two years, from 69% in 2023 to 36% last year.
The Navy acquired six of the latest P-8A maritime patrol aircraft in 2024 but is struggling to retain the specialized personnel needed to operate them. Since 2018, it has called on six occasions for allowance increases and, among other measures, differentiated payments based on experience, but the proposals were not ultimately adopted.
Kim said, "Even the latest maritime patrol aircraft can perform to their full potential only when experienced personnel are available to operate detection equipment and analyze information," and called for allowances to be brought in line with reality and for a compensation system based on proficiency.
Since recently taking up the post of presidential special adviser on defense policy, Kim has been raising a series of security issues. Most recently, he pointed out that no standards had been established for Chinese-made connected cars entering military installations.
[email protected] Song Ji-won Reporter