conscription

In one of the more heart-breaking scenes, actress Vivian divulges that she fled to Ethiopia from Eritrea, a neighbouring country that enforces indefinite military conscription for all able-bodied citizens.

Thousands more, many of them young people, have fled abroad to avoid forced conscription - this means there are fewer people to help with relief work, and the subsequent rebuilding of the country.

With the phasing out of conscription in most European countries, the continent also relies on the around 100,000 battle-ready US troops stationed in Europe to help act as a deterrent against potential aggressors.

The number of troops in Europe diminished with the end of conscription in most European countries.

But in 2002, six months after receiving his conscription notice, Yoo traveled to the United States, became a naturalized American and renounced his South Korean citizenship, instantly exempting him from military duty.