South Korea military shrinks by 20% due to low birthrate

South Korea's military faces a 20% reduction in personnel due to a declining birth rate, falling below the threshold considered necessary for defense readiness. The country, technically still at war with North Korea, would need at least 500,000 soldiers for defense against its neighbor's 1.3 million active-duty members. With a birth rate of 0.75 babies per woman, the military has decreased to about 450,000 individuals, prompting calls for urgent national action to ensure the country's defense capabilities in the face of increasing geopolitical tensions.