South Korean Conscripts to Face Tougher Odds of Being Selected for a KATUSA Slot

Competition to get a coveted KATUSA slot is about to get more fierce as the ROK Army is set to greatly reduce the number of KATUSA soldiers:

KATUSAs salute during a 60th anniversary ceremony of the establishment of KATUSA at USAG Yongsan in Seoul, in this October 2010 photo. The Korean Army plans to reduce KATUSA recruitment by over 25 percent by 2022. Korea Times file

The Republic of Korea (ROK) Army will drastically reduce the number of soldiers selected for the Korean Augmentation to the United States Army (KATUSA) starting next year, as fewer are needed due to the relocation of U.S. bases to the newly expanded U.S. Army Garrison (USAG) Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, according to ROK Army sources, Wednesday.

This is the first time for the Army to curtail its KATUSA selection.

Each year, the ROK Army selects around 2,000 troops to become KATUSAs, but that number will be slashed to 1,600 next year and continue to be reduced through 2022.

“The reduction in KATUSA selection is part of the nation’s ongoing defense reforms, and also in line with the decreasing number of conscripts and the realignment of personnel at the Eighth United States Army. The number will be reduced further in phases in the coming years,” a ROK Army official told The Korea Times.

There are currently about 3,500 KATUSAs, including commissioned and non-commissioned officers, but the ROK Army plans to reduce this by up to 900 by 2022, a decrease of over 25 percent. 

In late 2018, 2,026 KATUSAs were selected among 14,251 applicants to be conscripted this year, a competition rate of 6.9 to 1.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but instead of a 7 to 1 chance of getting a KATUSA slot, now applicants will face 10 to 1 odds.

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Flyingsword
Flyingsword
5 years ago

So the price of becoming a KATUSA is going up….

ChickenHead
ChickenHead
5 years ago

Instead of those positions going to the top 1%, they will now go to the top .8%.

Got it.

Smokes
5 years ago

Graftiness aside, what competition? Didn’t they shift that program mainly to a lottery about 7 – 10 years ago?

setnaffa
setnaffa
5 years ago

Smokes, a lottery is the easiest way to cover corruption… That’s why they’re so popular…

2ID Doc
2ID Doc
5 years ago

Flyingsword got it right. I suppose I got lucky when I was in Korea. My first two roommates were awesome KATUSAs. Friendly, excellent English and willing to teach this American a little Hangul & culture. Only 1 bad apple in the crowd, they sent him on leave with a split lip and a black eye & advice to come back with a better attitude. He never called me a “bug” to my face anymore. I regret I never kept in touch with them….

setnaffa
setnaffa
5 years ago

Bug?

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