South Korea to Expand Health Insurance for Conscripts

SEOUL, Sept. 3 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will introduce new accident and indemnity health insurance for active-duty and discharged conscripts, in an effort to expand state support for young men serving mandatory military service, the defense ministry said Thursday.

Under the new group accident insurance scheme, conscripts injured or diagnosed with an illness during the roughly two years of service will receive financial coverage for medical treatments and disability claims, the ministry said in a release.

The current support program offers free medical treatment at military hospitals and compensation for injuries but to a limited extent, raising the need for a policy overhaul.

Discharged conscripts will be eligible for 18 months of indemnity insurance coverage starting upon their discharge, regardless of whether their health conditions developed while in uniform.

Indemnity insurance refers to a widely used medical coverage policy in South Korea, under which policyholders are reimbursed for actual out-of-pocket medical expenses remaining after costs are covered by the national health insurance.

In South Korea, all able-bodied men must complete 18 to 21 months of service under a mandatory draft system primarily aimed at maintaining force readiness against North Korea.

Seoul has stepped up efforts to reform existing policies in the conscription system to address a declining pool of servicemen amid a demographic cliff.