President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday stressed the need for Korea to adopt a selective enlistment system to transform the country’s armed forces into a “smart, elite and powerful military” centered on advanced equipment and technology. The president reaffirmed his long-standing commitment to the system, aimed at replacing rank-and-file conscripts with less, yet professional and volunteer noncommissioned officers by offering incentives such as higher salaries. The proposal, which seeks to sustain the conscription model eventually, comes as Korea continues to struggle with a dwindling population. “Amid the persistently low birthrate, maintaining the current inefficient military structure centered on manpower and infantry is neither feasible nor desirable,” Lee said during a meeting with senior secretaries at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul. The president said the system should be redesigned in a way that would help young people serving in the military to build better futures. He asked officials to develop policies that would make military experience useful in securing quality jobs, education