Bangwibyeong Explained

Hangul:	방위병
Hanja:	防衛兵
Rr:	bangwibyeong
Mr:	pangwibyŏng

The Bangwibyeong is a system under the Conscription in South Korea that existed from 1969 to 1994.

The Defense call-up system, which means being called up to Bangwibyeong, was abolished in 1995 with the creation of the Full-Time Reserve Service and Social Service Personnel.

Those who were called up were those who served in supplementary military service, and Subject to Call-up of Bangwibyeong varied by year.

History

April, 1969: Ministry of the Interior, Implementation of the Bangwibyeong and Defence call-up System.
July, 1971: Management authority over Bangwibyeong and Defence call-up system is transferred from the Ministry of Interior to Ministry of National Defense
February, 1973: Applying Military Criminal Act to Bangwibyeong^[1]
December 31, 1994: Abolished the Bangwibyeong and Bangwi call-up System. Implemented the Next day (January 1, 1995) the Social service personnel system.^[2]

Terms

General terms

Subject to Defence call: It means the Subject to defense call.
Defence call: It means that the person Subject to the Defense call is called up.
a person called in for Defense): It refers to a person who is called up to serve by a defense call, and is often called Bangwibyeong.

Informal terms or Slang terms

Ddongbangwi: A slang for Bangwibyeong serve in the Conscription part in Dong office
Songchubangwi: Among the Bangwibyeongs who performed the duties of combatments, the nickname refers to Bangwibyeong, who served in units around the area called Songchu of Yangju-gun, Gyeonggi-do.
Jottobangwi
Weolnambangwi
Weolnam Skibudae

Identity

Bangwibyeong is a soldier, Service status was a Supplementary service.

Call-up and service

When a person subject to Defense call receives a call-up notice, called to 3 or 4 weeks of military training from boot camp. After completing military training, deployed to Service institutions.

In this way, it is called a Bangwibyeong to be called up to serve by a Defense call.

Bangwibyeong's Service institutions is Military unit, Police Station, Reserve armory, Reserve force company, Conscription part in City hall, County office, District office or Town office. Bangwibyeong performed the following duties during their service;

Performing of Combatants or Noncombatants: Army, Navy and Air Force units, Police station, Reserve force armory, Reserve force company
Performing of Conscription administrative assistance: Conscription part in City hall, County office, District office, Dong office, Town office or Township office

Bangwibyeong was basically a form of commuting from home to Service institutions. Bangwibyeong in charge of combatment were sometimes required to stay in barracks during the training period of the troops while commuting from home to military unit.

Service period

Under the Military Service Act, the service period of a Bangwibyeong was called, The period was within 2 to 3 years.^[3] ^[4] ^[5] However, the actual length of service was as follows;

Ordinary Bangwibyeong
- 1969 to 1981: 1 year(Time service period system from 1969 to 1974, One-day service period system from 1974 to 1982. 2920 hours, 365 days)
- 1982 to 1986: 1 year 2 months
- 1986 to abolited year: 1 year 6 months
Only son Bangwibyeong. Only son is only son whose father died first, 2nd generation Only son, Only son whose parents are 60 or over years old.
- Before 1992: 6 months
- After 1993(Born after January 1, 1974. Those born Only son before December 31, 1973, are the same as those Only son Bangwibyeong service period before 1992): Same as the Ordinary Bangwibyeong's service period.

Comparisons

Sortation	Active duty	full-time reserve	Supplementary service (Social Service Personnel etc.)	Bangwibyeong
Duty	active duty, reservist (after duty)	active duty only for basic military training, after that, remaining duty is served as a reservist	basic military education and discharge from military service as reservist (same for the reserve forces after that)
Identity	soldier	soldier	citizen	soldier
Duty period	Army and Marine 1 Year 9 Months, Navy 1 Year 11 Months, Air Force 2 Years	Army, Marine, Navy, all 1 year and 9 months.	1 year and 10 months on Social Service Personnel	Dependent on year.
Rank after duty	sergeant	sergeant	private	corporal
Form of duty	barracks life	commute to work and leave from home every day (weekends usually rest)^[6]	commute to work and leave from home every day or camp (two days of vacation per week)	commute to work and leave from home every day (weekends usually rest)
Relative height	-	effective January 1, 1995.	effective January 1, 1995.	effective April, 1969. abolished on December 31, 1994.

Notes and References

Article 1, Paragraph 3, Subparagraph 3 of Military Criminal Act(Act No. 2538, Feb. 17, 1973)
Article 1 and 4 of Military Service Act Addenda(Act No. 4685, Dec. 31, 1993)
Article 59, Paragraph 1 of Military Service Act(Act No. 2259, Dec. 31, 1970): The defense call shall be convened for officers, quasi-commissioned officers, sergeant officers, or soldiers in Reserve, Supplementary and 2nd Citizen service for the Homeland defense, and the period shall be within 2 years.
Article 59 Paragraph 1 of Military Service Act(Act No. 2454, Jan 30, 1973): The defense call shall be convened for Soldiers in Supplementary and 2nd Citizen service who have not completed active service in order to support military, Homeland defense and other related affairs, but the period shall be within 3 years.
Article 25 Paragraph 1 of Military Service Act(Act No. 3696, December 31, 1983): The period of service of a person called in for Defense(Hereinafter referred to as "Bangwibyeong[Korean: 방위병, hanja: 防衛兵 lit.: ''Defence soldier'']") shall be within 2 years from the date of enlistment, and matters necessary for the period and cancellation of the defense call-up shall be prescribed by Presidential Decree.
A year of barracks life in the front division before 1998.