If you are born in Korea as a man, you are obliged to complete the military service. Most Korean men think this is wrong for young people who have an obligation to go the military. In their early twenties, they have to attend military service. 24 months of training at a young age seems to be an obstacle for young men. At that, the Military Manpower Administration (MMA) has taken physical examinations to men at age 20. It is to pull the physically and mentally suitable men to the national defence. In the physical examination the MMA separates men's physical capacity in different. Until the previous year, the MMA had selected soldiers in the range of level 1,2 and 3(The small the number, the higher in suitability). But The Ministry of National Defence announced on the beginning of this year that even level 4 of university students must go to the military.
Time in the Military - The Steps To The Society
Every Korean man must go to the military, as I said above. But it doesn't mean that they have to wear camouflaged combat uniforms. Some who have failed to qualify for the physical test have to work as public officers. Some even choose certain public works to achieve the obligation of national defence. The ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corp) has become a popular choice for those who wish to satisfy the obligation. ROTC first started to bring up highly educated people who could lead the society. But because of its long terms, people failed to apply. Now this has changed. ROTC is one the preferred method of completing the military service. The reasons can be diverse. The high rate of unemployment rate is one. Even after graduation, people cannot get a proper job these days. Being in ROTC gives you time after graduation. ROTC is scheduled to have training during the 3rd and 4th grade of university. After that reserve officers must attend the military for 2 years and 4 months as a second lieutenant. Though occupation in the military is complex to perform well, people usually think it is easier than to find a certain job in society. Many students withdraw from school temporarily. Students wish to get a job as their school years end. ROTC became one method for students to have their time to get ready for society, and even to get payed as a military soldier.
Being in the ROTC
Being a reserve officer requires some standards. In order to become a reserve officer, students must be ready in physical condition with adequate points. There are few restrictions for the people who want to register. The volunteer must over grade C (2.0 out of 4.5) and should not have left different officer training schools like the Korea Military Academy or the Naval Academy. As students are taken in the ROTC, they must finish 2 weeks of basic military training to be certified as a reserve officer. The training is to educate university students about the basic methodology of military officers. After the 2-week basic training, they take two kinds of training : In-campus training and military service training. In-campus training is mostly based on a theoretical approach. Reserve officers normally take 6 hours of training a week. Chung-angian reserve officers in junior and senior years take certain classes such as a training early in the morning (usually the 6-hour-training is scheduled as two 3-hour classes). The class is named 'Military science(1)' for juniors and Military science (3) for seniors. In-campus training is scheduled less than 90 hours a year. In training, students learn how to be primary executive officers. To perform leadership and to manage plural parties, they learn TI &E (Troop Information & Education) to command in situations.
The outer campus training, the so-called military service training, is performed during the summer vacation. Students gather in the Sung-nam military officer school to take a 4-week military service training. In the 4-week period, students have to stay in the quarter with other trainees. CAH interviewed present officers to hear about the training. A student in business administration said that the hardship wasn't that big after all. The biggest problem that he had in the training was sleeping. In the military, trainees must sleep at 10 o'clock and wake up at 6 o'clock in the morning. But if they are selected as a sentry team, they must stay awake during the night. But even the ones who stayed in the camp complain about sleep. Even though most trainees sleep with fatigue body which had trained all day long, some trainees have a hard time sleeping. The sentry team changes during the night so they have to equip themselves even at night. Surely ROTC members are trained just like soldiers.
After the training, reserve officers attend the military for over two years as second lieutenants. Park Gwang-Rae, high school teacher, still recollects his 6th ROTC years as an airborne troop. In their senior grade, reserve officers have training as airborne troops. He says present ROTC became much easier to serve as a military officer. The years passed from the dangerous 60's and surely the military became a suitable place to work. As a second lieutenant, he was paid monthly. By the graph given by ROTC, a second lieutenant earns almost 20 million won a year, which means every second lieutenant officer could earn quite a bit of money compared to other starting pay jobs in society. The branch of the second lieutenant is selected after one's major. So even if a soldier should spend time in the military, he could study his major into advanced ability. After the military service, ROTC members can get a career more easily than normal students who graduated without proper preparation. They can select whether they wish to stay in the military to work as an officer or to find a job in society. Finding a job as a ROTC member has advantages. Many people from ROTC are spread out in society. This let them to find information and job opportunities more easily than others. And they are trained in leading the troops and managing the group. Corporations give extra points for their ability. Even in official appointment, military officers get advantages for employment. Because of these advantages, women apply to become military officers. In local universities, many students apply to be female military officers, so it is apt to pass a competition to be a female officer.
As gossips flows about ROTC, CAH asked some reserve officers and students about ROTC living on campus. Many students were curious about reserve officers. CAH interviewed a student in the school cafeteria. She was curious about the suitcase that ROTC carries during the hours on campus. Reserve officers say they usually put the same things that other students fill in their own bags. One newbie reserve officer told about the style of the uniform. He was dissatisfied with his beret which Koreans usually describe as bun-looking hat. Some students argue about taking salute in front of other ROTC members on campus. Since the military system is based on ranks, it is important to hold certain systems. But for the other students who are not in the ROTC, it doesn't seem like something good to see.
ROTC is a group of students preparing to become military officers. It is certain that they are experiencing a military system that other students don't. But since ROTC is training students under three words (Knowledge, Trust and Valor) they should try to focus continuously on the basis in order to learn military as a university student standing on campus.
By Jeong Woo-suk
News reporter