US Army Soldiers Enlisted in the Wrong Army
Two dual citizen Korean-Americans enlisted in the US Army before being drafted into the ROK Army. Now the ROK Army is after them to force them to complete their mandatory Korean military service:
The Defense Ministry and the Military Manpower Administration may have to wait for years before they can get their hands on two Koreans who violated the military service law by enlisting in the U.S. Army.
The two Koreans aged 21 and 22 who have U.S. citizenship and residence respectively but retain their Korean nationality volunteered for the U.S. Army without performing their mandatory military service here, the MMA said Friday. Both were supposed to join the Korean armed forces in 2004 but both enlisted with U.S, forces instead. One instead went with them to Germany and both are now ironically with the U.S. Forces Korea as privates first class.
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The first came to Korea on leave last June, and the travel ban stopped him from returning to his unit in Germany. He was indicted here the same month but the indictment was suspended because he serves in the U.S. military. He then transferred to the USFK. The MMA says it will make both of them serve in the Korean forces as well. Article 71 of the Military Service Law says those with dual nationality who violate the law must perform their military duties in Korea before they turn 35.
Cases like this are not uncommon. Many Korean-Americans and some that are dual citizens serve in the US military and are very valuable to USFK due to their familiarization with the Korean culture and language. However, it looks like the ROK Army is really going to clamp down on these dual citizenship holders now.
On the opposite end of the spectrum I had an American KATUSA ROK Army soldier before in my unit. He was a dual citizenship holder and had lived in the US most of his life. He came back to Korea to complete his ROK Army service to keep his dual citizen status and was selected as a KATUSA. He wanted to join the US military from the start but he had to complete his ROK Army time before doing so. He still plans on enlisting in the US Army once his KATUSA time is done. He will definitely like the pay raise since KATUSA’s only make $45 a month.
