Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

[Exclusive] Front-Line Soldiers, stand as pride of the army

Upgraded front-line alert level and fighting force

Offers positive energy with sense of responsibility and activeness

Efforts to secure quality resources by strengthening personnel qualification standard

Army “awards badge of honor and verifies military experience to soldiers”

The rate of volunteers of GOP front-line soldiers is expected to reach 50% soon.

According to the Army on February 22, the change rate of GOP soldiers, ‘Front-Line Soldiers (Soldiers)’, a system in which young men volunteer for military service with the remote unit at the front line, reached 45% in last January. This outcome was achieved in just over 2 years since the army started the volunteer system for the remote area by the name of Front-Line Soldiers in January 2015, a first since the foundation of the army. Considering recruitment trends, the rate of the soldiers is expected to exceed half of all GOP soldiers later this year, or later in the first half of the year, at the earliest.

On another level, increasing the deployment of the front-line soldiers to GOP guarding fields aims to send a clear warning message to North Korea given the situation of recent medium and long-range ballistic missile firing and the assassination of Kim Jong-nam. In terms of hardware, scientific boundary system, and software, the deployment of outstanding resources sends the message that our army’s GOP alert level at the front line and fighting force have been upgraded.

Our young Korean men are also strong interested in choosing to serve at the front line where we directly confront North Korea. Around 20,000 have voluntarily chosen to ’join the army in remote areas’ so far. The competition rate is also serious, at 5.21 to 1 in the first year of the program and 3.71 to 1 last year. An officer who works at the front line unit said, “My friends and acquaintances who want to join the army as front-line soldiers keep asking me lots of questions about it.” The Army is planning to recruit 8,000 protecting soldiers this year.

There are reserve soldiers who have been discharged from military already who bear the honorable title of ‘Front-Line Soldiers’. As of last month, 4,300 had finished their military service, which was recognized as distinct from regular service, and returned to society. The Army, however, never stops trying to improve the system. Qualification standards have been strengthened to acquire outstanding resources, and starting this year, military physical requirements have been adjusted from Grade-3 to Grade-2 and an interview test introduced.

The ‘Soldiers Effect’ in the field is gradually building the strength of the Army’s efforts. As ‘front-line protecting soldiers,’ given an unusual challenge and responsibility, are deployed to remote areas at the front line, the positive energy they emit is spreading to the whole unit. Lieutenant colonel Oh Bong-guen, GOP battalion commander, lightning regiment, Fifteenth Army Division, said, “They show a sense of responsibility and carry out their missions perfectly. They are voluntarily and actively engaged in military life, and spread positive energy to the unit.”

They give more than before to their guard duties, with pride in choosing a different way from others. The Army also spares no effort to encourage their pride. An Army spokesperson said, “We award all the GOP soldiers, including the soldiers, a badge of honor and make them put it on their chest, and include their related experience in their military experience. We are considering their recommendations first in the a verification of military experience and training.”

By Yeong-Sun, Lee < ys119@dema.mil.kr >

Picture <By Yong-hak Cho>

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