MILITARY SERVICE

Me and my comrade at the military camp

After graduating from the University of Tokyo in March 2010, I entered the Korean Army to fulfill the mandatory military service requirement.  Through intense training over the past 18 months, I have developed physical endurance, mental discipline, and leadership skills that will enable me to succeed in graduate school. 

The typical day's schedule is:

• 6:00am: wake up

• 7:00am: march for 10km in full gear towards training center

• 8:00am - 5:00pm: training in hand-to-hand-combat, guerilla warfare, individual battle, shooting, etc

• 6:00pm: dinner

• 7:00pm - 9:00pm: attend class on national security and Korean history

• 9:00pm- 10:00pm: clean the barracks

• 10:00pm- 6:00am: sleep

Not surprisingly, I am in the best shape of my life in terms of physical strength and mental sharpness.  However, perhaps the most valuable consequence of being in the military has been the opportunity to live in close quarters with diverse people.  Unlike college, the army is comprised of people from every socioeconomic class and all walks of life, including actors, artists, scientists, athletes, gangsters, chefs, cab drivers, lawyers, and so on.  From these people, I learned to appreciate the diversity of their points of view and the different needs that each person has.  I became close with many soldiers in my company, and I was elected as the "leader soldier" to represent the other soldiers and to lead them during ruck marches.