Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

First female naval and air force chaplains

First female military chaplain officers, Navy Lieutenant Junior Grade Lee Ye-lim (Christian) and Air Force First Lieutenant Hong Sun-young (Buddhist)

Captain Park Tae-hwan gained the honor of Defense Minister prize ... More than half of the officers (42) recommissioned

The Army Administrative School had a commissioning ceremony for the 75th military chaplain officer on June 30, and inaugurated 75 of new military chaplain officers who will lead our forces’ religious strength.

Those who entered the Army Administrative School last May have learned basic skills as soldiers over the course of 6 weeks, and from the middle of last month, they developed the basic grounding in the arm of service that is necessary for performing the duties as a military chaplain officer. Of the newly-appointed officers, Captain Park Tae-hwan gained the honor of the Defense Minister Prize, while Army First Lieutenant Baek Young-chul, Navy Lieutenant junior grade Shin Won-sub and Air Force Lieutenant Lee Kyung-tae were presented with the Chief of Staff Prize.

More than half of the soldiers, 42 including Captain Park, have served as military chaplains or officers of combat arms, then been re-commissioned, receiving a second military service number. And Navy Lieutenant junior grade Lee Ye-lim (Christian) and Air Force First Lieutenant Hong Sun-young (Buddhist) become the first female military chaplain officers.

The Vice Minister of National Defense Seo Ju-seok, who presided over the event, asked those 75 newly appointed chaplain officers, when they are deployed to the first line unit, to serve as model human beings for the soldiers with love and sacrifice, which is the nature of religion, as well as to be elite chaplain officers who are ready to sacrifice themselves to cultivate strong forces that can fight and defeat the enemy with faith.

The 37 Christians, 19 Catholics and 19 Buddhists who are newly commissioned will be separated into the armed forces and make an effort to make the religion part of the military fighting force, by serving everywhere, from the front to the back.

By Chul-Hwan, Kim < droid001@dema.mil.kr >

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