Overseas Koreans can now renew military discharge cards at embassies

The Korea Times - Oct 29, 2026

Overseas Koreans living abroad can now easily apply for the reissuance of their military discharge certificates at Korean diplomatic missions, including embassies and consulates, without appointing a proxy in Korea. The Military Manpower Administration (MMA) and the Overseas Koreans Agency (OKA) announced Thursday that the expanded consular service takes effect immediately. Previously, diplomatic missions provided military service certificates, but lacked a system to issue replacement discharge certificates. Consequently, Koreans residing overseas who lost or damaged their certificates had to designate a representative back home to handle the application process, causing significant inconvenience. To honor veterans and streamline administrative support, the MMA issues wallet-sized, card-style discharge certificates in both Korean and English. Under the new arrangement, the MMA updated the relevant legal framework and established an integrated network with the OKA’s Consular Services 24 system. Overseas Koreans can now submit reissuance requests directly at local diplomatic missions, wh

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