Nearly 900 South Korean Air Force pilots have left for better-paying civilian jobs in last decade: Report

Around 900 South Korean Air Force pilots have quit the armed forces for better-paying jobs with civilian airlines in the last decade, media reports said Sunday, citing data.

According to a report submitted by the air force to the parliamentary sub-committee on national defense, 896 "skilled" air force pilots opted for voluntary discharge from 2017 to March 2026, Seoul-based Yonhap News reported.

The air force defines skilled pilots as those with between eight and 17 years of experience, and an ability to conduct operations on their own and to train younger and lower-ranked pilots.

Those who left the air force include 730 fighter pilots, 148 cargo pilots and 18 rotary-wing pilots.

One hundred pilots used to leave the air force for the civilian sector annually in the years leading up to the coronavirus pandemic. Then in 2021, only seven air force pilots opted for civilian careers as global air traffic plunged.

The air force has imposed a mandatory service period on pilots to prevent a mass exodus of pilots -- 15 years for Air Force Academy graduates who fly fighter jets or cargo planes, and 10 years for those who did not graduate from the military academy.

A 2025 survey found a wage gap between air force and commercial pilots, high risks associated with military jobs, and stress from constant emergency standbys as reasons for choosing civilian airlines.

An air force official said renewed measures are in place to prevent additional departures of skilled pilots.