On Nov. 6, 30 students gathered in The Salon for the Office of Spiritual Life and InterCultural Education’s Firsthand: South Korea, Military Service talk presented by Brian Kim, Class of 2022. Kim, who used to be Class of 2020, came up with the idea for the talk in order to share his first-hand experiences in the South Korean mandatory military service, having just returned from his 21 months of military service. The talk was in accordance with SLICE’s Firsthand Initiative: an opportunity for NYU Abu Dhabi students to share their culture with their peers highlighting cuisine, clothing and customs from their home countries.
Firsthand: South Korean Military Experience
On Nov. 6th, 30 students gathered around in The Salon for the Office of Spiritual Life and InterCultural Education (SLICE)’s Firsthand: South Korea, Military Service talk presented by Brian Kim.
Nov 16, 2019
On Nov. 6, 30 students gathered in The Salon for the Office of Spiritual Life and InterCultural Education’s Firsthand: South Korea, Military Service talk presented by Brian Kim, Class of 2022. Kim, who used to be Class of 2020, came up with the idea for the talk in order to share his first-hand experiences in the South Korean mandatory military service, having just returned from his 21 months of military service. The talk was in accordance with SLICE’s Firsthand Initiative: an opportunity for NYU Abu Dhabi students to share their culture with their peers highlighting cuisine, clothing and customs from their home countries.
“I'm working with the SLICE Office this semester, and I wanted to talk about how going back to the military has reconnected me with my cultural roots that I didn't strongly associate myself with before,” Kim explained. “They wanted me to try giving a SLICE talk about it, since it goes hand in hand with their Firsthand Initiative to share South Korea’s unique stories.”
Once Korean males turn 18, they are required to serve in the military with the possibility of postponing until the age of 28. The only way in which individuals can be exempted from service are if they are physically incapable, recognized internationally in musical or physical competitions such as the Olympics or have dual citizenship and choose to abandon the Korean one. Failure to oblige to these terms of service can result in severe consequences, including jail time. For dual citizens, choosing not to serve will result in the nullification of their Korean citizenship and the Korean government regarding them as complete foreigners for the rest of their lives.
“In preparation, I had to think hard about how it changed me,” said Kim. “I knew it did, but couldn't really pinpoint what. I grew up in the U.S. since I was nine, so I couldn’t trace my roots back to Korea. But through preparing for the event, I realized that I wanted to talk about how more Korean I feel and how the country has become my home. After the service, it’s been an experience of finding myself; I’ve managed to juggle with my American and Korean identities and find a balance between the two. Now I feel much more comfortable navigating through Korean social settings.”
The audience, made up of two-thirds Korean students, listened as Kim gave a 20-minute presentation going over fun facts about Korea, its history and the military system, as well as a question and answer session about his personal experience.
Some questions that arose during the session were about Kim’s decision to take a leave of absence midway through university, why Koreans are mandated to do it, as well as the kind of training he went through. In terms of one’s career and the continuation of education, it is typical of Korean male students to leave after freshman year, take a two-year leave of absence and return as sophomores when their former classmates are seniors.
“We serve for 18 to 21 months because it's mandatory and binding by law,” he explained. “After the Korean war broke out in 1950 with the U.S. backing the South and the Soviet Union the North, an agreement was signed in 1953 to create a demilitarized zone on the border between the North and South for a temporary cease of fire. It was an ideological fight that has never seen a peace treaty signed, and we are still technically at war. We never know when it could break out again, which is why it’s compulsory for all males.”
The Korean military service trainings include weeks of extreme physical labor to infuse the mentality of loyalty and patriotism in the soldier. Trainings include winter boot camps where men go through five days of sleeping in tents in the mountains in freezing temperatures, guerilla trainings for undercover attacks, combined with bridging exercises, field training exercises and command post drills. For additional safety, Korean soldiers are even given CBR or gas-filled room training for defense against chemical or biological weapon attacks.
Kim also shared his anecdotes and personal experiences of rigorous physical training that he went through during his service.
“My go-to story from the military is us having to march 30 hours straight without sleeping with a 10kg bag and equipment on our shoulders,” Kim recollects with a smile. “Besides those demanding trainings, the daily schedule consists of getting up every day at 6:30 a.m. and doing work until 5:30 p.m. with a two-hour lunch break in between. We have free time until 8:30 p.m. when we start cleaning our rooms, and curfew is at 10 p.m. Don't forget, of course, the night duties, for which you have to wake up in the middle of the night for two hours.”
With Korean food served, Kim discussed what the draft means for students at NYUAD and how interactions between families and friends are meaningful.
“Everyone goes through rough times during their college careers, but being drafted to the military is another level of isolation and challenge,” Kim admitted. “So I think NYUAD students can really be helpful by reaching out and actively staying in touch with their Korean friends in the army. It’s hard for them to have the luxury of reaching out first, so if you do, you’ll continue to have the tightest bonds with them even after you come back. It would mean a lot to us if you could continue supporting them throughout the two years.”
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