Conscientious objection to military service in Germany quadruples in one year... This year's recruitment goal is approaching.

(Berlin = Yonhap News) Correspondent Kim Gye-yeon = ARD broadcasting and others reported on the 11th (local time) that applications for conscientious objection to military service are rapidly increasing as the German government considers reintroducing the conscription system.

According to the German Agency for Family and Civil Society Affairs (BAFzA), 16,869 people applied to refuse military service as of October this year. This figure is more than four times the total of 3,879 last year. In 2024, there were only 2,249 people.

As of October, the number of applications for conscientious objection to military service is approaching this year's federal military recruitment target of about 20,000.

Germany officially abolished conscription in 2011. However, as there remain provisions of the Basic Law (Constitution) stipulating adult men's military service obligation and right to refuse military service, applications for military service refusal are still being accepted.

Local media interpreted this as a result of growing security concerns in Europe due to threats from Russia, and the possibility of conscription against one's will due to the new military service law that came into effect in January of this year.

The German government's new military service law requires all 18-year-old males to answer an online questionnaire asking about their willingness and ability to serve in the military, and if they refuse, they are fined 250 euros (about 370,000 won). Starting next year, you will also be required to undergo a physical examination the year you turn 18.

The Military Service Act allows for conversion to a conscription system through congressional approval if the number of volunteer enlisted troops falls short of the recruitment target or if a national security emergency arises. Left-wing camps and youth groups advocating for disarmament are criticizing online surveys and physical examinations as steps toward introducing a conscription system.

There is also an analysis that the reluctance to serve in the military has grown as the reality of sexual misconduct within the military has recently been revealed. According to a survey of approximately 45,000 active-duty soldiers by the Federal Military Sociology Center, 72% of female soldiers and 31% of male soldiers responded that they had been victims of verbal sexual harassment at least once in the past 12 months. 9% of women and 3% of men said they had been physically molested, including through physical contact.

The German government is focusing on recruiting with the goal of increasing the number of Bundeswehr troops to 255,000-270,000 by 2035. As of last month, the number of troops exceeded 190,000, the highest in 13 years. In a recent media interview, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius ruled out the possibility of introducing a conscription system immediately, saying, "If the current trend continues, there will be no problem in increasing troops."