Can gov’t raise reservist pay beyond $64?

The Korean government is moving to overhaul the compensation structure for its millions of military reservists, following years of criticism that mandatory service pay has failed to keep pace with the nation’s rising cost of living. Kang Hoon-sik, the presidential chief of staff, directed the Ministry of National Defense earlier this week to modernize the reserve training system and explore raising mobilization pay to at least the minimum wage. The directive comes as the disparity between military stipends and civilian earnings reaches a breaking point for young men forced to balance careers with national defense obligations. For Kim Dong-young, 28, the gap between duty and compensation is a matter of simple math. Last year, Kim spent four days commuting between his home in Hwaseong and a training site in Pyeongtaek — a grueling daily round trip. He said the stipend barely paid for the fuel used to get there. “I carpooled with a friend, spending about two hours a day commuting round trip,” Kim said. For his four days of service, he received 72,000 won ($48). Had he worked those s

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