From the Financial Times;
South Korea’s soldiers will be asked to make do with only one bath a week while its air force pilots will have to do more training on computers instead of real fighters as record oil prices force the country to slash fuel usage.
The measures are among several arising from an emergency meeting last week at which senior army, navy and air force officials discussed how to reduce fuel bills, a military official said.
The air force plans to cut annual flight hours for training from 150 to 135 and ask pilots to use computer simulators more instead of fighters. The navy is to ask ships to slow down on the way back from missions.
Old, fuel-inefficient ships will be dry-docked.
Soldiers face tougher measures. The army plans to cut numbers of soldiers joining field drills and minimise oil-consuming heavy equipment for training. It has also asked soldiers to take a bath only once a week.
Well, conscripts in the ROK military usually bathe once a week, and that during the weekends, where they have some time on their hands, so nothing new there. I don’t agree with the idea of the military as a whole cutting back on training, but if it can somehow maintain its combat readiness, regardless of the cutbacks, no complaints there.
Also, with the Korean tendency to bring out egalitarianism in some matters, one would have expected an announcement that the generals and the admirals would be carpooling instead of being individually chauffeured around in their big black fuel guzzling Equuses. But, considering that the planners of the cutbacks are the same people who are being chauffeured, well who would want to give up his big black Equus.
However fuel doesn’t seem to be a problem for the military on the other side of the DMZ.
21 Comments
Well, conscripts in the ROK military usually bathe once a week, and that during the weekends, where they have some time on their hands, so nothing new there.
Not by my knowledge. They get to have shower everyday from what I’ve heard.
That’s what the military wants the public to believe. But the reality is a bit different. And I am talking from first hand experience.
And even if they do get to shower everyday, I doubt that the water being pumped out is hot.
former conscript speaking here - hot water depends on location. the CFC has hot water all the time, you go towards any isolated area, hot water is usually pumped for about an hour, and yes they do shower everyday.
Cold showers everyday. What they’re talking about “public baths”, or “Mok-yok” in Korean. The act of going into hot bath tubs and scrubbing dead skin. I doubt even US soliders take bubble baths every once a week.
Yes, but the US soldier has access to a hot shower everyday unlike the Korean soldier. And most Korean military installations don’t have public baths.
Of course the CFC will get hot water all the time, I mean it’s in the Yongsan garrison. Except for going out on patrols aboard a destroyer, I never served in an isolated location. But even in those locations, hot water and showers/baths were something of a rarity, even during winter.
It’s a good thing that Koreans don’t tend to need deoderant, or else the barracks would be a pretty foul smelling place under the new one bath a week regime.
“It’s a good thing that Koreans don’t tend to need deoderant, or else the barracks would be a pretty foul smelling place under the new one bath a week regime.”
You’ve obviously never had to teach a classroom of freshmen who spent their lunch hour shooting hoops.
Can’t believe some people still think that “Koreans don’t have B.O.” crap!
No one said no B.O. But there’s a good reason why the only deoderant available in Seoul, a city of 9 million, is illegally diverted from the Yongsan PX. Unbathed Westerners smell alot worse. And I’d bet money that a classload of American freshman shooting hoops without deoderant would shut down the school.
simply put any cut back in training = cut back on readiness
isn’t the ROK military supposed to be preparing for war time control of its forces?
no wonder bases up north havent moved south
will they ever???
“Unbathed Westerners smell a lot worse. ”
Actually, that should be “unbathed hairy people smell worse”. Most of your armpit bacteria live in the hair. Try for yourself and shave your armpits—bingo—almost no B.O!
#11,
Yeah, what’s with the racist (and misinformed) reply at the suggestion that Koreans don’t always smell like roses?
Baths are horrible anyway, showers are cleaner and greener.
Cutting energy use is a good idea, more for environmental than economic reasons. If the government is serious about reducing pollution and oil costs to the economy they should start taxing all those stupid inefficient SUVs that Koreans are seemingly addicted too.
SUVs are a bane to the environment and ridiculous vehicles, especially in a city such as Seoul (where almost every other vehicle is one).
#12, So, pointing out the obvious fact that Koreans do not use deoderant is now conceived of as racist? It’s also probably true that Koreans are more likely to have redder faces after consuming alcohol. So what? Simply because different groups of people may have different superficial characteristics doesn’t make someone racist for pointing it out. Here’s a study by scientist Kohichiro Yoshiura, who points out that underarm odor is strongly correlated with the DNA for having wet earwax, which 97% of Europeans and Africans have, but N.E. Asians lack. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01.....mp;emc=rss
Personally, dry ear wax sounds alot better - hope that doesn’t violate your racist sensibilities.
Also speaking from experience, Korean enlisted soldiers can take showers every day unless they choose not to. Taking a HOT shower, of course, is a completely different story. As far as the military is concerned, the pressure to “save fuel” has existed since time immemorial, and one of the main jobs of the company commander is to limit the use of hot water as severely as possible without inciting a riot. We used to get hot water to shower 6 months a year, and there would be a one-hour window for 200+ soldiers to take a shower if they wanted one. The shower facility had 7 showers total, and there would be at least 10 naked men waiting in line at any given moment during the one-hour. Since when exactly the one-hour window would open was always unclear, one of the “perks” of having seniority was to get privates or PFCs do go to the showers and “check” if hot water was flowing.
When I watch “Lock up: San Quentin” on TV, I can’t help gaping at how much better the living conditions are than the Korean military. Of course, being a free man (and not living under the threat of rape) is decidedly preferable, but getting your bed sheets laundered every week is so much better than getting your blanket “washed” twice a year and sleeping on a sheet-less mattress that has never been washed in ANYONE’s memory.
I remembered, we did each get a sleeping bag and something that works as a “sheet.” The sleeping bags would get “washed” twice a year (nobody knows what actually happens to them, but they’re loaded on a truck and brought back dripping wet) and the sheets you could wash in one of the two washers that the whole company shares, provided you have the “seniority” to make such a brazen move.
hmmmm, sounds like in the coming months ROK Military readiness and morale will be at an all time low.
*hint* North Korea *hint* *wink* *nudge*
Apocrine sweat glands are associated with hair follicules and are they type of sweat glands that produce potentially malourderous secretions, especially once bacteria are allowed to multiple and feed off the secretions.
Lack of body hair, means lack of apocrine sweat glands and the problems that may arise.
However, body odour can include bad breath, and lack of, (how do I put this delicately), adequate post-bathroom cleanliness.
The smell of cigarettes, garlic, soju and “donk” are not very inviting, especially when trapped on a hot buss with the windows all shut
hitest - you are claiming that Koreans lack under-arm hair? Evidently you’re not Korean, or haven’t lived with Koreans. Yes, cigarettes, garlic, etc can all make a strong smell, but that’s quite different. There’s a very distinct pugent odor that non East Asians make without deoderant, regardless of diet - quite unrelated to number of hair follicules.
“So, pointing out the obvious fact that Koreans do not use deoderant is now conceived of as racist?”
No, but suggesting that westerners are somehow dirty by writing “Unbathed Westerners smell alot worse. And I’d bet money that a classload of American freshman shooting hoops without deoderant would shut down the school” can be seen as being racist.
Wet and dry earwax? Actually, it’s linked to sweat production. Now, is sweat production linked to body odour? It depends who’s doing the smelling.
#19, ..actually I was relating the amount of hair follicules to the likelihood of problems associated with apocrine seat glands.
No amount of armpit hair is gonna come close to my, ummm rather generous allotment of hair follicules
Perhaps its the testosterone that Korean men lack that leaves them, umm, pheromone free
?