20,000 young men exempt from draft due to waiting times

Around 21,000 young men who were deemed unfit for military service will be exempt from the draft by 2020 and will not have to serve in menial public service jobs. The long waiting period until they are dispatched to public facilities made them eligible for exemption because it could disrupt their lives for years. A staffer at the Military Manpower Administration said, "The number of people who were assigned to public service jobs but are still waiting to be dispatched is estimated to reach 11,000 next year and around 10,000 in 2020. They will be automatically exempt from the draft." 

There has been an increase in their number because of a temporary surge in male children born in 1990 who are now being drafted. All Korean men over 19 who have been deemed fit for military service are drafted, but those judged unfit are required to serve their time in some alternative public service unless they have to wait more than three years until a position becomes available. The MMA last September promised to create 15,000 more menial positions at police stations over the next three years to prevent mushrooming exemptions. But that still leaves some 20,000 who would have suffered unacceptable delays. An MMA staffer said the backlog will be resolved by 2021.  

Questions: 
1. What's te reason behind the exemption of over 21,000 young men from serving the military? 
2. How can this change the lives of these young men? 
3. Enumerate some criteria to for exemption. 
4. Share your thoughts about the reasons for exemption. 
5. What do you think is the best solution to the delays? 

Vocabulary: 
1. exempt - free from an obligation or liability imposed on others 
2. draft - compulsory recruitment for military service