All able-bodied Koreans between 18 and 38 years old are required to serve military service for 21 to 24 months. Conscripts are prohibited from leaving their barracks unless they are granted vacation authorized by the military. Before implementing the policy at all military units across the country, the ministry had conducted a test-run on 13 military units from August 2018. During the trial period, the ministry found there were many benefits in allowing soldiers to leave the barracks, such as boosting their morale. As part of such efforts, the ministry has been running a trial allowing soldiers to use their cellphones in barracks after work since April 2018.

Source: The Nation Bangkok February 02, 2019 09:33 UTC