South Korea Military Duty Question?

Question

How does it work?

if someone is native born korean who lived in US most of their life, and they move back to korea, obviously they would be enlisted into the army for 2 years (aprox) right?

also is it much easier if you speak english fluently? basically is there a program for fluent english speakers but they also speak korean fluently?

also, how do they choose when its your time to do your duty? is there some kind of notice beforehand or is it automatically random or can u just do it early and get it out of the way?

Answer 1

I think you join whenever you want to at a certain age. I'm not sure exactly maybe like 20's? But you're supposed to enter before you're 30. I dunno if thats a legal law but or it's just frowned upon. I would think there would be an english translator at least.

Answer 2

If you have citizenship of other country, you don't need to serve even though you may choose to serve. English skill is irrelevant. You can apply to be a katusa (Korean Augmentation To the United States Army) if you'd like, and I think English is not required for a katusa. Serving the military as a katusa would still be much easier for people who don't speak Korean well.



I've heard that if you're staying more than 6 months in South Korea, you'll need to report to the government office. If they've found out that you have been trying to avoid serving the military even if your primary residence is in South Korea, you'll go to jail.



You won't get paid much while serving Korean military, because it's a duty not a choice. You'll get about 50 to 90 dollars per month for two years.