Navy to face shortage of sailors, helicopter pilots

South Korea's Navy will suffer a significant shortage of sailors and helicopter pilots as its armament plans are outpacing its recruitment of new personnel, a lawmaker said Thursday. The Navy will need about 6,300 new petty officers by 2020 as it plans to deploy more than 70 new warships over the next nine years, but only some 4,900 personnel will be available to operate the new warships, said Seo Jong-pyo of the main opposition Democratic Party in a statement. By 2020, the Navy also plans to add some 30 helicopters, but there will be a shortage of some 580 pilots and technicians to operate them, Seo said, citing data from the Navy. In the statement, Seo said the looming shortage of Navy personnel must be appropriately addressed. "In addition to arms build-up plans, the Navy must focus on recruiting enough personnel for their operations and maintenance," Seo said. The South's military is beefing up its arsenal following North Korea's two deadly military attacks last year -- the March torpedo attack of the Cheonan warship and the November shelling of Yeonpyeong Island. The two Koreas are still technically at war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with a cease-fire, not a peace treaty.