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While some have argued that Korea needs to introduce compulsory military service for women due to a lack of male recruits owing to the country’s low birth rate, a new study finds that more than half of Korea opposes the idea.

Commissioned by Media Tribune, Realmeter surveyed 503 Korean adults on Thursday on whether they support introducing conscription for women. More than half (54.9%) of respondents opposed the idea, while 36.4% were in favor of it. Another 8.8% of respondents answered that they weren’t sure.

Broken down by gender, men were slightly more likely to oppose the conscription of women than women were, at 56.3% compared to 53.4%.

Opposition was higher among all age groups, with slightly higher opposition among people in their 50s (64.2%) and their 40s (60.5%). The split between support and opposition was fairly similar among those in their 70s (41.1% in favor; 48.1% opposed) and those aged 18-29 (42.2% in favor; 48.5% opposed).

When it came to political leanings, opposition was high among progressives (69.9%) and moderates (56.7%), while the split was closer among conservatives (47.5% in favor, 41.5% opposed).

By region, only the North Gyeongsang and Daegu area reported higher support (45.8%) than opposition (35.2%).

The results of the survey were announced on Monday. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 points and a confidence interval of 95%. The survey was carried out by random digit dialing with automated responses, with 96% of numbers belonging to mobile phones and 4% being landlines. The survey had a response rate of 3.3%.

The commissioner of the Military Manpower Administration expressed reluctance toward the idea of including women in the conscription system while speaking with reporters on Wednesday, calling it “probably premature.”

By Yi Ju-been, staff reporter

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