Koreans Flock to U.S. Army

It’s certainly an improvement on how the Army was received in Korea when I was there. For everyone who says “Yankee Go Home,” someone else says, “and take me with you:”

The program was authorized without fanfare late last year by Defense Secretary Robert Gates to attract temporary immigrants who speak strategically important languages such as Arabic, Farsi and Korean. The bait: The soldiers could immediately apply for U.S. citizenship, skipping the sometimes decadelong process of securing a green card first.

So many Koreans have applied, however, that the Army doesn’t need them all.

Koreans form the largest group among the 8,000 applicants for the program, launched on Feb. 23. Many have excellent credentials, including degrees in medicine and engineering. Almost all are veterans of South Korea’s own compulsory military service.

“The quality of these applicants has been phenomenal,” says Lt. Col. Peter Badoian, the project officer for the pilot program. “But we didn’t anticipate one immigrant community would respond so strongly.” [Wall Street Journal]

Whatever criticisms you may offer of Korean culture, and I often think I spend too much time focusing on its less charming aspects, it certainly does no harm to the fighting spirit of the young men it produces. Koreans have traditionally made some of the world’s toughest, most disciplined soldiers when properly led and trained, and even when inadequately equipped. Korea’s high educational levels will also prove helpful to the Army. Finally, since most of the Korean recruits will have ROK Army experience, they’ll be experienced, disciplined, trained in tae kwon do and other martial skills, and toughened against physical hardships. Here are people who are willing to put their lives on the line to contribute to our society.

Is there any down side to this? One very small one: those whose job it is to screen these recruits should remember the case of Michael Chang, a/k/a Jang Min-Ho, the former U.S. soldier who went on to head a major North Korean spy ring, and whose wife planted herself in the office of a Lieutenant Colonel in USFK headquarters. That’s obviously a risk whenever people with allegiance to any foreign country are asked to abandon that allegiance and become Americans, and Korea is no different from any other country in that regard. Given the lengths recruiters have traditionally gone to meet their quotas, I only hope the Army is on the lookout for that small number who may take the oath with a purpose of evasion.