South Korea is grappling with a military personnel shortage as Kim Jong Un escalates North Korean military preparations, with not enough young men available for recruitment in the country. A recent report has estimated that the South's military has shrunk by 20 per cent over the past six years, now standing at just 450,000 troops.

South Korea faces a military personnel shortage with not enough young men to recruit in the country as Kim Jong-un ramps up North Korean military preparations. A recent report estimated that the South's military has decreased by 20 per cent in the past six years, now totalling just 450,000 troops.

Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean dicator Kim Jong Un, blasted southern peace overtures as "a few sentimental words."

The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has rebuffed outreach by South Korea’s new liberal government, saying that North Korea has no interests in talks with South Korea, no matter what proposal its rival offers.

South Korea retains compulsory military service mainly because the country is still technically at war with its nuclear-armed neighbour, North Korea. A study published by South Korean researchers in July had suggested that the country would need at least 500,