Korean Job Discussion Forums

[sml7285]

Hey guys-

I am a dual US/South Korean citizen and I recently got an amazing job offer in Korea. However as a dual national, I have to do my two years of mandatory service before I can take the job and I have been looking around online to try to find blogs or websites where people have written about their experiences, as I'm sure I'm not the first to serve as a dual citizen.

I'd appreciate it if any of you guys could point me in the right direction as I'd like to get a sense of what to expect when I get there.

[jvalmer]

http://holdenbeck.wordpress.com/

After the fact though. He wasn't too impressed with the experience.

[The Sultan of Seoul]

Might be coz I'm in China - but can't get that link to load.

One of the frustrating things about living here is that this happens from time to time, either the Great Firewall or the internet just decides not to work properly. Gah, the other day it would hapilly let me wiki 'the great leap forward' which is not exactly a CCP puff piece, but wouldn't let me wiki the history of London...

Maybe someone could be so kind as to cut and paste a few good quotes for this poor old gweilo to peruse at leisure...

[fermentation]

I've been writing a blog as well but I've been real lazy with it and I'm no where near as articulate as Holden Beck. I'd be glad to answer questions if you got them though.

To summarize ROK military experience in one sentence: It sucks.

[sml7285]

[sml7285]

[holdenbeck]

Fermentation will be a lot more knowledgeable about the Army these days. It's been over 8 years since I started my service and 6 since I finished. I agree with him that it sucks and I wouldn't suggest it to anyone. That being said, the job offer must be pretty damn good if you're considering the Army.

Is it? Is the job worth really 2 years of your life? I've heard the Korean Army has gotten a lot better in recent years one of the most torturous aspects of the Army is the time, time spent without freedom. It's like what Louis CK said about marriage, the Army is like "a really shitty time machine. It's the kind of time machine that takes the real amount of time to take you to the future. It's basically like if a time machine was a box that you get in and sit in it for 2 years and then it's 2 years later."

You should also ask yourself how long you want to stay in Korea. If you're planning to stay here for the long haul, it's not necessary but at least you'll have something to talk about when the guys start going on and on about their Army experiences. You'll also get respect for going when you didn't have to.

There are only a few entries on my blog recounting my actual experiences. I did write about them on a previous blog but have closed that account.

[sml7285]

[fermentation]

[sml7285]

[leibod1]

Just my two cents. Am I correct to assume that the company will hold your job? This is actually a common occurrence, and quite considerate. I've served in the US military and am currently doing the Korean service too (long story). I did basic (boot) last month and I'll point out a few things that I noticed.

a) boot sucks. In any army it sucks and here is the same. If you are reasonably healthy, you'll pass. The the difficult part was limitation of freedoms you take for granted, like taking a leak, or surfing the internet. Most of the time its ridiculously boring and many tasks are repetitive. I found the most annoying thing was getting punished (기합) for someone else's mistake. Gomer Pyle situations abound.

b) Also, you'll sleep twenty to a room, which isn't that bad except that someone will get sick, and they will pass it on to everyone else. This is a given because the barracks, your equipment and even your BDUs are filthy. You get used training uniforms that someone has already worn before you. However, there is no detergent so at best, they would have sprayed water on it for aesthetic purposes. Having said that, the medical services is a joke. It is strongly recommended that you bring your own cold medicine and other things you may need.

c) Your age could work for you in the sense that your squad mates will mostly be young, 생년 90-93 on average. If you are quite a bit older you won't have to deal with the posturing and bullying that many kids seem to partake in. I'm 33 so this out me right on the cutline for service eligibility. (If I had just escaped notice one more year). That made me older than the company commander. I didn't make a big deal about it and I think the DIs appreciated that. I used this to put a stop to the bullying in my squad room which turned out quite well. The smaller guys would just keep passing me food and snacks I guess as a thank you.

d) Korean fluency could be a factor. My korean isn't that good but I can understand simple commands. The squad I was placed with helped me out when they could and I got cut a little slack when I messed up due to incomprehension.

e) It;s a good idea to get used to a little exercise before heading in bc if not prepared, your body will be hurting and it will be easier to get injured. If your injury is severe, they'll hold you back and recycle you into the next class, thereby prolonging "boot". You only do four different exercises, push-ups, sit-ups, 3km run, and the ruck march, so just practice those. Most kids will not be in shape so you will get positive attention from the DIS. This translates to perks, like PX visit.

f) Food is shite. You get all you can eat rice, and virtually no side dishes. Now each squad rotates in and out of the mess hall duty (분대분식) and this is your chance to eat decently. Thats bc for that time, you and your mates are in charge of running the mess hall, including distributing food to the company.

g) Keep an eye on your things. For some reason kids steal even from their buddies. You're given 5 undergarments and a towel and one bar of soap plus one toilet roll for each month's use...period. Boot is two months, so you can see that some items have to be used sparingly. For example soap is used for personal grooming, showering, and to wash your clothes. There is an inspection every day and you have to account for all of the provided items, if anyone in your room (생활관) has something missing, you "exercise".

h) Pertaining to level of korean fluency, if you are near native level, you will have no problems fitting in but if not, you may find the time very boring, as there isn't really anything to do in off time except talk.

i) on Sunday you get to choose one of 3 different religious services to go to; Catholic, Non-denominational Christian, and Buddhist. Pick one and go. If you choose not to go, you get stuck with cleaning or light labor duties. Also, all of these services provide snacks ie; choco pies/soda etc. I personally found that for my location, Buddhist service was the best as they provided the most junk food and played music videos for 2 hours. Even though I'm not exactly a kpop fan, watching something is better than nothing. In the first week, just go to one and let the others know what its like.

All in all, it is manageable, and the shite part is mostly mental. Try to help out the ppl who need it and you'll be a rock star, seriously. I think most kids don't think anyone will help them out and time goes by faster when you have a couple of friends to shoot the shite with.

Leibod out.

[fermentation]

[sml7285]

[fermentation]

[CentralCali]