Private Lee (Lee Kun-Woo) is from Daegu, South Korea and is a KATUSA (카투사) soldier. Lee is also my dental assistant at Camp Casey. Before his military service, Private Lee was a graduating senior at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). He wants to pursue a PhD in Bioengineering and one day become a college professor--teaching and doing research on "bio-sensing" technology.
Only 1 in 6 Republic of Korea (ROK) soldiers are selected to serve in the KATUSA ranks. Each KATUSA must be fluent in English and go through a battery of tests and training. All come from the college ranks and are financially self-supported or helped by their families. Since military service is manditory the pay is quite low: $10-20 a month.
In two years, they rise from the enlisted ranks of Private to Sergeant. Private Lee tells me that it's considered an honor to serve as a KATUSA and he is extended privileges not given to the ROK soldiers. This KATUSA / EUSA partnership, started back in 1950, is one-of-a-kind in US Army history.
My assistant has an older sister, who is a student at Daegu University. One of his favorite hobbies is playing ping pong (탁구), a popular sport in Korea.
PS - Here's the "inside scoop" on Korean military service... provided by a Korean living in America who served in the ROK army. Note his take on KATUSA service... !!
