So-called Commissioned Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine ROTC Officers

[Asia Economy Military Specialist Yang Nak-gyu]The integrated commissioning ceremony for ROTC officers from the Republic of Korea Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps was held on the 3rd at the Army Cadet Military School in Goesan, Chungbuk.

The event was presided over by Defense Minister Seo Wook in the morning, with three representatives from each of the 116 nationwide ROTC units attending. From the afternoon until the 8th, individual commissioning ceremonies will be held according to each ROTC unit's schedule. A total of 3,561 officers were commissioned on this day, including 438 female officers (12.3%).

The Presidential Award was given to Second Lieutenants Kim Se-hee (Keimyung University, '24) from the Army, Park Ye-ryun (Korea Maritime and Ocean University, '22) from the Navy, and Joo Jae-woo (Korea National University of Transportation, '22) from the Air Force.

Second Lieutenant Kim said, "I will fulfill my duty to serve the nation and its people with pride and passion as an officer of the Republic of Korea Army." Second Lieutenant Park stated, "There are many ways to show patriotism, but I believed that becoming a soldier was the most certain way," adding, "I will dedicate myself to the country and its people and strive to become an outstanding officer who protects the Republic of Korea’s responsibility sea areas."

Among the commissioned officers, many were descendants of Korean War veterans.

Second Lieutenant Kim Sang-min (Inha University, '22) has a maternal grandfather who participated in the Battle of Baengma-goji during the Korean War and was awarded the Hwarang Military Merit Medal twice. Second Lieutenant Lee Chang-ho (Chungbuk National University, '23) has a grandfather who served as a marine in the West Sea island securing operation during the Korean War, and a maternal grandfather who was a police officer participating in the Battle of Dabudong and the Yeongcheon district battles. Second Lieutenant Jeon Jin-wook (Jeju National University, '23) also has a maternal grandfather who received the Hwarang Military Merit Medal twice for his contributions in the Battle of Baengma-goji.

There was also a case of an officer who gave up overseas permanent residency to be commissioned. Second Lieutenant Park Ki-hoon (Korea University, '23), who lived for 20 years in both Mexico and the United States, held Mexican permanent residency and was exempt from military service, but influenced by his father, a 27th ROTC class officer from the same university, he gave up his permanent residency and chose the path of an officer.

There is also an officer who holds three military service numbers. Second Lieutenant Cho Yoon-sung (Gachon University, '25) served as a soldier in the 6th Corps in 2016, then volunteered as a term-limited non-commissioned officer before being discharged.

The newly commissioned second lieutenants were selected as cadets during their first and second years at 116 university ROTC units nationwide, and underwent major education, military training, and comprehensive commissioning evaluations during their third and fourth years. The new second lieutenants will undergo advanced training courses by each military branch before being assigned to frontline units.

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