Ministry of National Defense and The Korea Economic Daily sign MOU on the “Soldier Encouragement Tomorrow PASS”

Promotes a productive service environment and strengthens self-directed capabilities.

Minister Ahn Gyu-back: “The program will contribute to enhancing national competitiveness after discharge.”

 Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back, seventh from left, and Cho Il-hoon, seventh from right, president of The Korea Economic Daily, pose for a photo with participants during the “Soldier Encouragement Tomorrow PASS” cooperation MOU signing ceremony at the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on April 23.

The Ministry of National Defense and The Korea Economic Daily agreed to cooperate in fostering a productive military service environment and supporting the development of service members’ self-directed capabilities.

The two institutions signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) titled “Soldier Encouragement Tomorrow PASS” at the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on April 23. The event was attended by Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back, Cho Il-hoon, President of The Korea Economic Daily, and representatives from sponsoring companies, including Samsung Electronics, LS, POSCO Holdings, Shinhan Bank, Industrial Bank of Korea, Woori Bank, Hana Bank, and KB Kookmin Bank.

The Ministry of National Defense and The Korea Economic Daily will establish a civilian-military partnership as talent-development partners under the agreement. The two institutions plan to establish a systematic, integrated support system covering not only self-development areas such as reading, physical training, and certification preparation, but also employment and career counseling.

“Soldier Encouragement Tomorrow PASS” consists of four programs: Reading PASS, which supports reading promotion activities such as book donations, reading coaching, and book concerts; Health PASS, which supports improved health and physical fitness; License PASS, which supports certification acquisition in advanced fields such as AI and drones; and Career PASS, which supports employment and career counseling. The Defense Ministry explained that these programs are expected to provide service members with substantial growth opportunities.

Following the MOU signing ceremony, a book donation event was held to mark World Book and Copyright Day. The Korea Economic Daily donated 1,000 books to actively support the Reading PASS program and promote reading within military barracks.

Ahn said, “Books are the repository of the future, fueling our dreams and inspiring a sense of challenge. I hope our soldiers will cultivate strong physical strength, intellect, character, and professionalism through steady, self-directed growth via reading, thereby contributing to enhanced national competitiveness after discharge.”

The Ministry of National Defense and The Korea Economic Daily will closely cooperate to implement the agreement and support service members’ self-development through barracks book report contests and participation in job fairs.

By Byeong-No, Yun <trylover@dema.mil.kr >

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