I got drafted by the South Korean military
In S.Korea, it is required that every male serve in the army for 2 years since the Korean War divided the Korean peninsular into two separate entities: communism vs capitalism. On March 12th, I received a letter from the government to show up and wear the uniform on the following week.
I knew it was coming when I left college in the US and came back to my country due to the immigration problem.
When I received the letter, I thought, “Yeah, the time has come. Fuck, I need to fulfill the national duty like all of my friends”.
However, as you can see the word, “fuck”, in countries where people are drafted instead volunteered such as the US and Japan, the country as a whole tend to share a general perspective similar to paying taxes to the government. Tax is indispensable for a growth and maintenance of a country, but when it is forced, not many seem to enjoy the process since it violates what we seek: autonomy and the ability to make our own decisions.
I imagined not blogging and engaging with my readers because the military base does not allow laptops, mobile phones, except one or two hours of desktop surfing.
I believe in meritocracy and one’s meaning of life comes from growing and helping others. There are S.Korean males who could replace my number in the army, but not many with the impact and dream I wish to work towards. I rather pursue my tunnel vision.
If you’ve come this far, here is the conclusion. Yesterday, I got exempt. It was due to the knee surgery (PCL Reconstruction) 2 years ago from playing basketball. Although the surgery and rehab were tough, now I think about the past, all these incidents must have had reasons as Steve Jobs referred to them as “Connecting the dots”.
Thanks you for hearing my story. I’m curious to hear something from you. If you will, please share how your country’s army system is like. You can comment or reply to this email since it goes directly into my inbox. I will look forward to yours. You can also watch the vlogging version here.
Best,
Bob
