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Public concern has been raised over a strict new regulation on military service for young men who have already qualified for university, as they believe it may stimulate corruption when people attempt to avoid their obligations.

The ministries of education and training and defence recently issued a joint circular to outline exemptions from military service for young men.

A new regulation ending exemption to young men who have graduated from high school and have yet to enter tertiary education has caused public controversy.

Many people said that the regulation was too vague and may see people take advantage of the loophole by trying to prove that they’ve completed procedures to enter university before receiving their army call up.

There is concern that if the regulation is strictly implemented, it would add to the lack of male students at colleges and universities. This would then result in a shortage of male workers.

Many people also believed that better-off families could pay bribes to exempt their children from military service.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Thien Minh, Head of the Ministry of Education's Department of Defense Education says that while military service only lasts for two years, studying is a lifetime task.

"I understand that two years may cause some disruption for students in their studies, and that it may take some time for parents to get used to the idea. However I believe that male students must also understand their obligation to this country, and that the protection of the country is a prerequisite to their studies. Both Korea and Israel have implemented similar policies with success," he said. 

Shortened army service time proposed

In order to deal with the issues, several people have suggested shortening the time of army service or combining the service with tertiary education.

Other suggestions include reducing the time students have to spend on military service.

Several recommended shortening military service for those who had passed a university entrance exam to six months or a year, instead of 18 months. Some members of the public also claimed that there should just be a fee payable to exempt children from military service entirely.

Some others suggested allowing those who passed their university entrance exam to delay their military obligation until their graduation.