Are you a gyopo who has just been impressed into the ROK Army? You’ll be happy to know the Army now has a program just for you!
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Are you a gyopo who has just been impressed into the ROK Army? You’ll be happy to know the Army now has a program just for you!
31 Comments
Ah dammit. Please delete the above, Robert.
As for Kyopo getting strong armed into military service, the best way to avoid it is to ensure that their citizenship is properly renounced.
By the way Robert, didn’t you know that kyopo is to ethnic Koreans as is a certain word starting with N is to the descendants of American slaves?
“didn’t you know that kyopo is to ethnic Koreans as is a certain word starting with N is to the descendants of American slaves?”
I don’t know if you’re kidding, but… are there people that are serious about this?
Can we expect the “gangsta” LA loser gyopos to start calling each other “gyopo”, ala blacks calling each other “nigga”?
Seth, some of them are…
http://www.rjkoehler.com/2007/.....po-debate/
Hypersensitive kyopo… lol.
the word gyopo has long been used by the white people to subjugate us 1.5/2 generations in the states. the word is filled with hate and is very derogatory! in fact, it should be referred to as the G-word or K-word.
i think those “gangsta” LA loser gyopos still call each other “nigga.” “wat up gyopo?” doesn’t sound too catchy.
Does the program include a tube of lubricant and/or a reach-around?
The Canadian passport warns about this sort of thing. There is a line somewhere close to the first page that says Canadians with dual citizenship should be careful when they travel overseas because they might be pressed into military service.
I once worked with a Korean American who tried to make like he was crazy to keep from going into the Korean army. They didn’t fall for it. They eventually turned him loose, though. It was right after his monther in LA faxed over the paperwork about his attempted murder charges. He was a nice guy.
I’m not sure, Sperwer, but as the orientation program is being run at the Army’s training facility in Nonsan, there’s a chance that it might include something extra for breakfast.
I guess that’s one way to get ‘em used to the special fragrance of kimchi and soju.
The U.S. shouldn’t allow dual citizenship; the choice should be American or not, period. If you choose American, all other nationalities should be formally denounced. Would put an end to issues like being shanghaied.
As far as the program goes, seems like a good idea for those that *want* to join.
correct me if i’m wrong. when i got naturalized, i remember reading somewhere that once i take the oath and become an american citizen, i cannot serve in the military of another government. if i was to join and serve in the military of another government, my u.s. citizenship would be revoked. if the foregoing is true, does the u.s. and korea have an agreement where this does not apply to koreans living in the states? i remember a korean-american who visited korea without proper paper works (waiver forms) got nabbed by the rok (to serve in the rok army) at the airport when he was about to leave, and his pleads to the u.s. government went unanswered as a spokesman said korea has jurisdiction.
Seoulmilk:
The answer to your question depends on the circumstances. There is no blanket prohibition against an American citizen serving in a foreign military. The exceptions are if one does so against the United States, in which case you will be subject to a charge of treason (before anyone worries about lifting your ticket) or swearing an oath of loyalty to a foreign sovereign. The latter will put in jeopardy the US citizenship of anyone who serves as a commissioned officer in a foreign army (or in a civilian capacity in any high-ranking (i.e., non-clerical or administrative) foreign governmental appointment; it is not thought to apply to private soldiers.
I once witnessed exactly the situation you describe at the Embassy. A young Korean guy was seeking help after having had his passport confiscated on entry and being given his induction instructions for ROKA. He had been born had a wife, children, job and mortgage in the US and spoke no Korean. He had come to Korea to visit his elderly, sick grandfather. Unbeknownst to him, haraboji also had put his name on the family register. He was fucked.
The US Embassy then did nothing for him?
US should not allow dual citizenship…
Hmm…
Hum…
Loyalty questioned…
Hmm…
Hum…
Uh…
I think it’s quite a subjective matter. I’ve ran into people who say they are dual citizens of US and Germany. US and UK.
None who are US and South Korea. I was always told the reason for this is goondae, North Korea, etc.
Given the recent Schroeder (before Merckel) vs Bush confrontation, do you think Germany will always be loyal to the US? Even in times of war?
How will you revoke dual citizenships, when they already exist for select countries?
Except for explaining why his Korean citizenship made him subject to conscription into ROKA once he entered Korea, notwithstanding his US citizenship, nada.
But does having your name in a Family Register automatically make you a Korean Citizen? I think not… He must have had K C and never formally renounced it.
The Israeli army has a special branch for people who want to join but don’t speak Hebrew and are not Israeli citizens. I’m guessing there are more than a few American Jews who serve without worrying about citizenship issues. I know a few Canadians who served and it was never a problem.
i’m sure i’m not stepping on anyone’s dreams here, but i looked into it and you actually need to speak hebrew to serve in the IDF. also, the special program involves a certain amount of help before you serve, but you serve with the regular branches (i think).
anyway, the original point stands: Americans can serve in a foreign army and not worry about citizenship issues in some cases. Canadians, too.
Think again.
Note to self: If a male 2nd gen. K-A friend ever tells me he’s going to visit South Korea, make sure and advise him to claim that his father was Japanese at the entrance interview.
i’m on my wife’s family register. does that make me a Korean citizen?
just because your name is on the family register does not make you korean. when i took my oath, i technically held dual citizenship. this wouldn’t matter much, but in order to come to korea, at least before i turned 35, i had to renounce my korean citizenship. once i renounced it at the korean consul in seattle, i was an american citizen with my name on the family register in korea. now for visa purposes and to exempt me from serving in the ROKA, i had to delete my name from the family register once i got here. i think you can do this in the states or whatever country you (korean descent) live.
Nope, because you entered through the back door (not a comment on your sexual practices) as it were, via marriage, not birth to Korean parents (or parent).
I’m curious about what you mean by your wife’s family register. Do you mean the registry of your wife’s family or the family register of your wife. I assume the latter since, based on my own experience, we big noses aren’t eligible for the registers of the families our spouses, who as married women also aren’t really any longer either under the established scheme of things (until the recent amendment of the hoju laws, anyway) that contemplated that they would then be enrolled on the registers of their husbands’ families. Since foreign men can;t have family registers, though, the system permits women who marry foreigners to create their own registers, on which their husbands and any children are then registered. The former aren’t citizens and. last time I paid any attention to it, the rules regarding the citizenship of the children was very complicated.
SM is correct that if you affirmatively renounce your Korean citizenship , the inclusion of your name on the family register no longer entails citizenship and its duties. The issue previously, though, was whether citizenship was effected simply by your inclusion (absent such renunciation).
thanks for the pointing out the difference. honestly, i wasn’t really thinking i might be a korean citizen.
what i meant was that my wife has her own register and i’m on it (under her).
seoulmilk writes:
Yes, but.
Thanks to the Uri Party and its politics of jealousy (overseas Koreans are class enemies, race traitors, or both — take your pick), it is now necessary for young dual citizens to renounce their Korean citizenship before attaining the age of 20 reckoned on the Korean calendar. Anyone trying to do so after that age is presumed to be doing so in order to avoid military service obligation.
The rub is that thanks to haraboji’s “helpful” entry of baby Chulsoo-in-America (Koreatown Mike)’s name onto the family register, where Mike is born in America and grows up thinking of himself as “just American”, the discovery of Korean citizenship now often takes place later than the age after which it’s impossible under Korean law for Mike to effect renunciation of that citizenship. Oops. Through no fault of his own (and frankly, no real “fault” of his proud grandfather’s, either) our friend Mike gets stuck with his unwanted citizenship and its attendant military-service obligation.
The really fun part is how he gets to discover this: By getting arrested on a family visit, blocked at the airport after a business trip, or while attending a semester-abroad program here in his ancestral land.
Once again, whilst flailing about at class enemies — rich Koreans who connive to “just happen” to be in America when their privileged children are to be born — the Roh-Nothings have managed to harm a whole lot of innocent bystanders too. Just like their stupid “war” on real-estate speculators.
Let’s chip in and send Pawi plain fare and see what happens.
The only thing American is the passport.
Plane plane plane plane plane plane plane plane plane plane plane plane plane plane plane plane plane plane
(Catholics call this “penance.”)
I know this is a couple of days old (and I’ve posted in old threads before). But I don’t visit here often, combined with the fact that I haven’t used the internet recently.
“I’m not sure, Sperwer, but as the orientation program is being run at the Army’s training facility in Nonsan, there’s a chance that it might include something extra for breakfast.”
Training and discipline at Nonsan bootcamp is a complete joke now. Any underfit metrosexual boy could could pass the training regime without breaking a sweat. Hell, I don’t think even the moma-boys experianced culture-shock.
Its ridiculous how much has changed over there. The recruits are abusing the new “human rights” mentality. For example a couple of them got together and started fabricating false accusations to one of their squad leaders which ended up having his status revoked.
I knew some stuff like this was going to happen. I saw this coming from miles away when the government became “concerned” about military culture. Everyone in this country always moans about our military culture (Even blaming the Japanese for the military culture, which is ridiculous, but that’s another story), but nobody here is finding a good alternative to establishing strong discipline.
This problem isn’t just isolated in the army either. Even our Marine Corp is slacking off, even compared to one year ago, they’re a lot worse. It’s of any wonder, that career military guys or militarisitic individuals (who are the right people we ACTUALLY NEED are leaving the country).
I can’t wait ’til Roh is out of office.
“Thanks to the Uri Party and its politics of jealousy (overseas Koreans are class enemies, race traitors, or both — take your pick), it is now necessary for young dual citizens to renounce their Korean citizenship before attaining the age of 20 reckoned on the Korean calendar. Anyone trying to do so after that age is presumed to be doing so in order to avoid military service obligation.”
I’m glad you brought that up. Roh and the rest of his Uri party defects are the definition of hypocrisy.
At least there are a few kyopos who actually volunteer for military duty. And aren’t responsible for trying to reduct the mandatory service period or get rid of the mandatory service.