496 Cadets Commissioned from 3 Military Academies... Second Lieutenant Lee Seok-jae Awarded the Presidential Citation

[Asia Economy Reporter Yang Nak-gyu] A total of 496 cadets from the 55th class of the Korea Army Academy at Yeongcheon (including 20 female soldiers) will be commissioned as second lieutenants.

On the 6th, the Ministry of National Defense announced that the Korea Army Academy at Yeongcheon will hold the 55th graduation and commissioning ceremony in the afternoon, presided over by Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo.

The 55th class entered in 2018 and completed a two-year curriculum of general majors and military science education. Graduates receive bachelor's degrees in science, literature, or engineering, along with a bachelor's degree in military science according to their major.

The event will be held without inviting family members or outsiders to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Second Lieutenant Lee Seok-jae (26), who received the Presidential Award for highest academic achievement, served as an enlisted soldier before suspending his studies in Japan to apply to the Korea Army Academy at Yeongcheon. While enrolled at Ritsumeikan University in Japan, he enlisted as an army soldier and completed 21 months of military service. During his service, he developed a dream of becoming a soldier of the Republic of Korea, leading him to suspend his studies abroad and apply to the academy. Including Lt. Lee, a total of eight cadets who had studied overseas applied to the academy and will be commissioned as second lieutenants at this ceremony.

Following them, Second Lieutenant Park Jin-woo (25) received the Prime Minister's Award, Second Lieutenant Noh Hyun-min (26) the Minister of National Defense Award, Second Lieutenant Park Song-eun (24) the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Award, Second Lieutenant Jang Jae-hyuk (22) the Commander of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command Award, Second Lieutenant Go Eun-bi (25) the Army Chief of Staff Award, Second Lieutenant Kim Won-young (23) the Navy Chief of Naval Operations Award, Second Lieutenant Seo Ji-won (26) the Air Force Chief of Staff Award, and Second Lieutenants Noh Ui-chang (25) and Han Ye-na (26) the Academy President's Award.

Second Lieutenant Choi Don-hyeong (22), from a distinguished military family with five veterans, will also be commissioned at this event.

Lt. Choi’s maternal grandfather Yoon Hyun-gi and his brothers Yoon Hyun-ok and Yoon Byung-gi, as well as his paternal uncle Choi Woon-jip, are veterans of the Korean War. His paternal uncle Choi Tae-jip is a Vietnam War veteran. Lt. Choi’s father is a reserve force company commander, his sister is a retired navy sergeant, and his brother is a retired army sergeant.

Second Lieutenant Park Ho-gyun (23) will follow the path of a soldier after his grandfather and father. Park’s grandfather retired as an army colonel, and his father is an active-duty army lieutenant colonel. His younger sister is a third-year student at the Korea Army Nursing Academy.

Officers who demonstrated outstanding skills in various fields through self-development during their cadet life are also a topic of interest. Second Lieutenant Park, who received the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Award, advanced from 4th to 5th dan in Taekwondo during his cadet years and holds 2nd dan in Judo, 1st dan in security martial arts, and 1st dan in Kendo, achieving a total of 9 dan ranks in martial arts.

Second Lieutenant Han, who received the Academy President's Award, scored a perfect 990 on the TOEIC during his cadet days. Second Lieutenant Im Seong-min (24) holds 13 certifications including 1st dan in special martial arts, 3rd dan in Taekwondo, 1st dan in Hapkido, and Level 2 Fire Safety Manager.

The newly commissioned second lieutenants all achieved top grades in physical fitness tests and marksmanship. They obtained qualifications of at least beginner level in computer science and martial arts, and excellently passed all six subjects of the comprehensive commissioning evaluation controlled by the Army.

Established in 1968 with the goal of training elite junior officers, the Korea Army Academy at Yeongcheon has produced about 150,000 elite officers to date. It is the world’s only transfer military academy where students enter in their third or fourth year of university and are commissioned as elite officers.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.