Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

To mark the 50th anniversary of its foundation,  the Korea Army Academy at Yeong-cheon had an entrance ceremony for the 55th class 534 cadets (including 20 female cadets) at the military training ground on February 12th.

The entrance ceremony was attended by 4000 people including cadets, parents, families, and relatives, and began with a Pledge of Allegiance, followed by a declaration of entrance, oath, conferring of epaulets, a congratulatory address from the superintendent, and a march-past. The highlight of the ceremony was the march-past by the cadets, who were an imposing and brave presence, bolstered by the four weeks of basic military training they had received starting from the 15th of last month.

In his congratulatory address, Superintendent of the Army Academy at Yeong-cheon, Major General Seo, Jeong-yeol said “I am proud that you have gone through basic military training with a 'never-never-give-up' spirit, even in the severe conditions of minus 20 degree wind chill weather.” He asked the cadets to “become confident elite officers with the upright personality and military insight that the country and the military need from you.”

Some cadets with unusual experiences received attention during the ceremony.

These included cadet Han, Jong-eun, a third-generation commissioned officer following in the footsteps of both his maternal grandfather and his father; cadet Kim, Min-sang who chose to pursue the life of a commissioned officer after being a professional staff sergeant who had joined the military as an army soldier while he was in Tsinghua University, one of China's elite universities; cadet Jeong, Mun-kyung who entered the Army Academy at Yeong-cheon to dedicate himself to his homeland even though he could have become a US second lieutenant as a US Army ROTC; and cadet Kim, Dong-eun, who was determined to become a cadet to follow in the footsteps of his elder brother, a senior cadet.

As well, three female cadets –Gwak, Mi-ran, Nam, Han-na, and Lee, Ji-won – who finally became cadets after their third attempt, and Lee, Ji-hyang, Park, Song-eun, and Hong, Ye-ji who hold fourth-degree black belts in taekwondo, attracted attention.

After completing two years of training in major subjects and military science, the 55th class of cadets who had their entrance ceremony that day will be developed into the elite officers leading an "unbeatable soldier community."

After the ceremony, the Academy expanded the visitors' place to the whole Yeongcheon area in order to allow the cadets to relax with their families while invigorating the regional economy.

By Seok-Jong, Lee < seokjong@dema.mil.kr >

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