Military Career in the South Korean army: Advantages - Essay Example

Please enter here 7th August 2007 Military Career: Advantages South Korea has one of the largest standing armies in the world. South Korea’s armed forces were poorly equipped and dependant on foreign countries for military supplies after the end of the Korean War. This has changed and South Korea’s civilian industries now have separate military assembly lines. This has made the South Korean armed forces self reliant in the production of advanced military equipment. I have also served in the South Korean army. I took the military service for two and half years from 2003 to 2006. I was assigned to be a translator in Aviation Operational Command Center. My unit often had operations with the U.S. military. I believe that my training in the military has benefited me. My education and skills have been further developed. A career in the military is also beneficial because it provides several social benefits like special housing facilities, retirement plans, loans, etc. I also believe that serving the military creates a positive feeling of patriotism and helping my countrymen. South Korea has a conscription service in which men are obligated to serve the military for a period of 24-28 months, depending on the military branch. South Korea’s military expenditures are about 21.06 billion in 2005 and the percent of military expenditure in GDP is reported as 2.7 % (The World Factbook). Many South Koreans have mixed feelings about serving the military. Many people believe that it transforms boys into men. Still others believe that it is wastage and people would be better off in other careers (South Koreans baulk at boot camp). South Korea’s conscription system is flexible since it allows young men to advance in their civilian careers after serving in the military. Conscripts with good educational background and expertise have been trained in military branches like signals, ordnance and engineering. Further the system also encourages conscripts serving in combat units to attend classes so that those skills would help them out in their civilian careers. Conscripts trained in electronics, signaling, engineering and other skilled trades have successfully gotten careers in the civilian industry (South Korea). Each branch of the South Korean armed forces has recruitment centers, technical schools, officer training schools and other specialized schools. There are a huge number of training schools and programs to train conscripts as specialists in using, maintaining, repairing and resupplying combat forces during war. The air force and navy have their own training programs and schools to maintain, repair and resupply their equipment. All military officers and personnel have to follow a strict security code which limits their social contacts. The South Korean armed forces provide food, housing, clothing and medical services to its personnel. There are also several recreational and entertainment programs to increase motivation, discipline, health and morale. My duties in the military were to translate written and spoken foreign language material to and from Korean, making sure to preserve the original means. I also had to interview civilian informers in their native languages. I had expertise in recording foreign radio transmissions using sensitive communications equipment. I used to prepare written reports about the information obtained. I was also capable of translating foreign documents, such as battle plans and personnel information. I also could install, operate, and maintain electronic equipment used to intercept foreign communications. The armed forces of South Korea teach business and organizational skills that are helpful in civilian organizations. Further military personnel are trained to stay up to date with changes in technology, communication and management practice. Training of the latest business, management and technology techniques definitely helps out when military personnel switch to a civilian career. Most military personnel have successfully made a transition from military to civilian career. South Korea’s armed forces are a diverse organization. They recognize the need for numerous different roles supporting front line troops. Admin, doctors, engineers, mechanics, human resources, officers, construction, IT, marketing and many other disciplines are put to use within the military. A career in the South Korean army generally has good benefits packages and healthcare, and although the obvious hazards of the job are there, the life of a military career isnt as extreme as one might imagine. It is commitment to service that makes a successful military career. A military career teaches respect, responsibility and discipline. A career in the South Korean army leads to a high degree of professionalism. This means getting the job done when called upon. The military encourages a great way of life. It allows you to become a central point of activity. It teaches numerous values. The South Korean armed forces is a corporation where individuals can find positions in diverse fields like aviation, engineering, medicine and administration. The military pays for training and college. Jung Uck Seo is an example of a military service which transitioned into a successful civilian career. Seo obtained a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the Seoul National University. He taught electronic courses in the Korean Air Force Academy. He would go to the US for higher studies. Seo held a series of research and development positions. He is credited with the design of a rugged transistorized military radio that was as advance as a US version but could be produced at ten percent of the cost. He would eventually make many more contributions to the Korean defense industry. (Zorpette). After receiving a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Seoul National University in 1957, he taught electronics courses in the Korean Air Force Academy— which led to a U.S. Air Force scholarship to study at Texas A&M University in College Station. There he earned a master’s, specializing in radio wave propagation. After another working stint in Korea, he returned to A&M in 1965 and earned a Ph.D. in microwave antennas and propagation in 1969 (Zorpette). During the 1990s Seo would work for the telecom sector when he presided over the Korea Mobile Telecom. There he oversaw installation of the world’s first large commercial cellular telephony system based on code-division multiple access, a wireless technology pioneered some years before by Qualcomm of San Diego. Currently he is the chairman of the e-trade promotion committee of the Korean International Trade Association. Seo’s career history shows that his research and development projects in the military helped him in applying that expertise in developing technology for civilian projects (Zorpette). Transitioning from a military career to a civilian career carries its own challenges. There is always a challenge of whether the person wants to pursue a new career or to pursue occupations which would match his military skills. A candidate with a military background applying for a civilian job has the advantage of being highly motivated and possesses the ability to handle pressure. They have good decision making abilities and are usually very much self disciplined. An ex military person usually has good communication skills and they have basic training. Another great advantage of ex military personnel is that they can communicate with people belonging to diverse religious groups, racial groups, ethnic groups, etc. The military is a multicultural organization. Marketing your experience to a civilian employer is one of the most difficult tasks facing ex military personnel. Effectively communicating your skills, experiences and education is essential for a successful civilian career. A person must be flexible and should use multiple resumes. In conclusion I would like to say that my military career has been beneficial for me. I believe that in the current age a career in the military carries many benefits. It advances your career and gives you an opportunity to use those skills in a set of diversified civilian environments. A military career carries its own rewards. Works Cited CIA, CIA. "Korea, South." The World Factbook 2007 06-08-2007 . Scanlon , Charles. "South Koreans baulk at boot camp." BBC News. 14 July 2005. BBC News. 6 Aug 2007 . "South Korea Recruitment, Training, and Conditions of Service." US Library of Congress Country Studies. June 1990. Federal Research Division Library of Congress. 6 Aug 2007 . ZORPETTE, GLENN . "Distinguished Career Parallels South Koreas Revival ." The Institute. 8 March 2005. The Institute. 6 Aug 2007 . Read More