Will Foreign Conscription Hurt my Chances?

King_Raptor

New Member
Joined
Jan 27, 2019
Messages
2
I'm a dual South Korean/American citizen. Unless I want to give up my Korean citizenship, I'll have to serve for a maximum of 2 years in the South Korean military (although most enlistments are shorter than that). Since I don't speak much Korean, they'd probably drop me in a KATUSA unit (Korean Augmentation to the United States Army), meaning I'd be attached to the American 8th Army the entire time.

How bad would that hurt my chances for getting into one of the service academies? I can always drop my Korean citizenship and spend those 2 years at college/enlisting in the American military, but I want to keep my options open.
 

kinnem

Moderator
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Oct 21, 2010
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15,613
To attend an academy you will need to drop, or at least be willing to drop, your Korean citizenship. It's a requirement for this very reason. You cannot have two countries requiring your loyalty.
 

nuensis

10-Year Member
Joined
May 23, 2011
Messages
962
Provided we entertain the number of red flags it will raise: The reservist status the ROK puts you after your active conscription will put you past the minimum age requirement for USNA. You will not be truly out of the ROKA for a while. It is not possible to do both.

Side note, I'd read up on KATUSA as well, "I don't speak Korean" is not going to increase your chances at all. The selection is solely based on passing a minimum score on a test and a lottery.
 
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