In the crowded streets of Seoul, life moves with the vibrant urgency of a city that has mastered the art of thriving amid tensions.

Yet, beneath this picture of normalcy, South Korean military planners may one day wrestle with a profound dilemma in the event of a contingency with the North: a potential call to arms of its civilian population to support a confrontation that could alter the fabric of the Korean Peninsula.

While the possibility of able-bodied civilians being obligated to support South Korean military efforts may seem far-fetched, the recent wars in Ukraine and Gaza demonstrate how quickly