▲ Lee Jun Geon (ddooddaa94@korea.ac.kr) Senior Reporter, The Granite Tower (GT)

Potential law students need to postpone service until acceptance to graduate school. The Marine Corps is where true men are born. The Air Force offers most time for in-military studying. So many choices, so many decisions to make. Here is the humble thought of a to-be-enlisted male in Korea in the nation’s military system.

From the Air Force and Korean Augmentation Troops to the United States Army (KATUSA) to the Navy and Marine Corps, the Korean military offers its soldiers a wide variety of military sectors, each embedded with top quality infrastructure working under a highly elaborate system. However, this very trait seems to be at the root of the complex problems pervading the military right now. Individuals are facing a paradox of choice.

The myriad of choices provided by the military incites undesirable competition. This includes competition for entrance to the “better” departments, including the Air Force and KATUSA, with their frequent vacations or regular outings, considered to be more lenient and suitable for extra-military activities. There is even intense competition over the application for regular army troops during certain months of the year, nearing 11:1 in certain periods most timely for returning to school after retirement.

With acceptance rates nearing those of college entrances, many individuals are re-applying for recruitment, a process that should be unnecessary for a national system as the military service. Such an atmosphere of competition acts as an unwanted factor of agitation for the youth who are already under economic and social pressure.

Meanwhile, the sheer amount of posts renders the military application process complicated for registering individuals. While the attempt to highlight individual character and talent is admirable, the process has become too complex, too methodical, too earthly. With the interviews, standardized tests, specified tests, and requirement on grades, the martial purpose, to protect the nation and carry out civilian duties, is undermined as a commercial event reminiscent of college entrance or employment.

The fundamental problem stems from the fact that in contrast to the elaborate military system, there is no proper preparation for service. As a strict and hierarchal institution, the military should be more forceful, to require mandatory duty on a designated period. The most appropriate period would be right after high school graduation, as this is when students enter society. Individuals would be mature enough for training, while military service would not be an in-between interruption to any part of their lives.

Such a policy would eliminate competition over certain seasons during the recruitment process and alleviate the pressure of returning to college or work. Additionally, the military draft would be better organized. As all individuals would enter the military during the same periods, the government would be able to provide higher quality services such as an education program on the military system before actual recruitment.

During this period, individuals would be taught on the purpose of the military, and that each specialized department is “different,” not necessarily “better”. With proper education, students will apply for the sectors suited to their talents and character, rather than the one with the shortest term and best facilities. This will reduce competition in certain branches, and in turn also reduce the inflated requirements resulting from high demand.

With all that said, the ultimate choice lies with the individual to enter service during the most appropriate period, and to find the most suitable department. The point is that, with so many individuals rushing in from all sides of the road, the government should be there to ease the traffic. After all, the military is a rigid institution, so why leave its recruiting so lenient?

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