Influence of Cadet Ceremony on the Korean Military Cadets' IDENTITY

Abstract

Purpose: The purposes of this study are, first, to investigate the effect of ceremonial events and honor systems conducted by the Korea Army Academy at Yeongcheon (KAAY) on the internalization of the values of cadets and cadet identity. Second, the researcher aims to derive improvement directions from the phenomenological perception and critical perspective of cadets through qualitative research.
 Method: In order to accomplish the research purposes, a common theme was derived by first examining the literature related to the cadet ceremonies and honor system of the military academies in Korea. In addition, focus group interviews were conducted with 12 cadets attending the KAAY to collect awareness of the internalization of their values and the impact of the honorary system on their identity formation. In addition, the meaning of the collected data was interpreted through content analysis, and the cadets' perception of the importance, influence, and improvement direction of ceremonial events and honor systems were analyzed.
 Results: As a result of literature review, the military academies are expected to operate similar ceremonies and honor systems, internalize honor as a core value, and form the identity of cadets who practice the honor procedures. The military academies provide various education programs to facilitate cadets to internalize the values, including honor pledge and loyalty ceremony, and those educations have a positive effect on the internalization of values and identity formation of cadets. However, there was an opinion that cadet uniforms and various ceremonies are currently maintaining the past traditions, so some improvements are needed.
 Conclusion: The ceremonies and honor systems have a positive effect on the internalization of the values of cadets and the development of the cadet identity. However, efforts to secure the uniqueness and tradition of each individual academy, as well as to share the value of human universality are also required.