By ROBERT NEFF
Marmot’s Hole Guest Blogger
Once again the Korean military is in the news…. well, maybe not the military, but the Combat Police (Riot Control) are in the news and they are definitely getting their 15 minutes share of fame. Yesterday while surfing through the channels on T.V. looking for something interesting to watch [tv sucks this time of year], I suddenly came upon this story on one of the news channels.
It seems that six members of the Kangnueng 307th Combat Police had their photographs taken in the nude by their seniors during their recent promotion party. Understand that this is not that uncommon - or so it seems - what is uncommon is someone was stupid enough to load it onto their web-page on the net. A couple of years ago I had a friend that was also in the military Combat Police and he also told me of a similar event - his birthday - and his fellow soldiers stripped him down and rubbed powder and lotion all over him and took pictures.
When I was in the military I remember hearing other stories of promotion parties - these were in the first and third ROK army, and though I can not vouch for their accuracy [ I never witnessed the events] they were accepted by many of my fellow soldiers as true. Some involved seniors washing their socks and underwear in the same bucket of water and then the newly promoted soldier was required to drink part of the liquid. Other stories were that the soldier’s seniors all spit into a glass and the soldier had to drink it. Again, I have no proof that these incidents actually happened.
Even the American military has its share of strange rituals and ceremonies - although many of these are disappearing if not already disappeared. Pinning wings on - usually for airborne units, promotions in which the divots [?] were removed from the pins on the insignia and then pounded into the soldier’s collar [some of these incidents have been reported before]. The movie, “A Few Good Men” in which a marine in Cuba is given a “Code Red” and ends up dying - is similar to the “Blanket Parties” that were administered while I was a soldier to those who failed to live up to the expectations of their peers. Of course, we can’t forget about the Canadian soldiers and their day in fame about a year ago - it seems that cameras should definitely be banned at these events.
It has truly been a hard year for the Korean military.
18 Comments
Ex-Seoulman - I’ve lived here over a year this time and I don’t get any aggro from the locals (can’t speak for the Ono/World Cup era, though). Thus, I’m as saddened by the fragging incident as much as the next guy and don’t hope to see it repeated.
It has truly been a hard year for the Korean military.
Who cares?
Well shakuhachi, anyone who cares about the future of Korea should care about Korea’s conscripted force.
I agree with Sakuhachi, who cares. Most Koreans think, or don’t think, that the military is necessary. Seems like those in charge who encourage reactions like that of Kim should think about bigger things, like protecting the country, instead of hazing a young conscript. Nothing was a surprise here, it was the predictable result of humiliating a young man who routinely carries grenades and guns to carry out his duty. Would YOU be stupid enough to provoke a kid who comes in carrying explosives and live ammo while you are sleeping. What kind of a moron would do that? Right, the kind who feels slighted cause someone younger didn’t bow or call him “Hyoung.”
Is it just me, or does anyone notice a huge, unfortunately temporary, lull in the usual anti-foreign rhetoric in Korea whenever a tradgedy like this happens? NO anti Ono demos, no FUCKING USA songs being sung, no American restaurants being trashed, no English teachers being disparaged, and no Korean comedians making fun of mass killings in other countries. I imagine some beleaguered expats living in Korea secretly hope that more of these types of events, killings amongst soldiers, mass murder on the subway, impeaching of the president, whatever it takes, continue so that Koreans feel ashamed and embarrassed enough to keep their self-righteous anti-foreign mouths shut.
Just speculating.
hehe…sounds like some of the hazing is leftover military bukkake from colonization…
Of course, we can?€™t forget about the Canadian soldiers and their day in fame about a year ago - it seems that cameras should definitely be banned at these events.
Canadian? What day in fame a year ago?
Naturally it gets even better for the Korean military now that an additional four photographs of marines have made their way into the limelight -
http://joongangdaily.joins.com.....09031.html
Can’t the Korean military keep their clothes on?
Hey now! Just this month we hosed down (with water of course) a recent promotee in my unit here in Seoul. We gave him blood stripes too, but, we didn’t make him strip down; too many old folks in my unit may have gone blind.
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