Korean Military Research Articles

The Study of Jipsa’s Conducting Signal in Korean Military Band, Chwitadae

The Study of Jipsa’s Conducting Signal in Korean Military Band, Chwitadae

Ongoing outbreak of human adenovirus-associated acute respiratory illness in the Republic of Korea military, 2013 to 2018.

Background/AimsHuman adenovirus type 55 (HAdV-55), an emerging epidemic strain, has caused several large outbreaks in the Korean military since 2014, and HAdV-associated acute respiratory illness (HAdV-ARI) has been continuously reported thereafter.MethodsTo evaluate the epidemiologic characteristics of HAdV-ARI in the Korean military, we analyzed respiratory virus polymerase chain reaction (RV-PCR) results, pneumonia surveillance results, and severe HAdV cases from all 14 Korean military hospitals from January 2013 to May 2018 and compared these data with nationwide RV surveillance data for the civilian population.ResultsA total of 14,630 RV-PCRs was performed at military hospitals. HAdV (45.4%) was the most frequently detected RV, followed by human rhinovirus (12.3%) and influenza virus (6.3%). The percentage of the military positive for HAdV was significantly greater than the percentage of civilians positive for HAdV throughout the study period, with a large outbreak occurring during the winter to spring of 2014 to 2015. The outbreak continued until the end of the study, and non-seasonal detections increased over time. The reported number of pneumonia patients also increased during the outbreak. Case fatality rate was 0.075% overall but 15.6% in patients with respiratory failure. The proportion of severe patients did not change significantly during the study period.ConclusionsA large HAdV outbreak is currently ongoing in the Korean military, with a trend away from seasonality, and HAdV-55 is likely the predominant strain. Persistent efforts to control the outbreak, HAdV type-specific surveillance, and vaccine development are required.

North Korean Military Proliferation in the Middle East and Africa: Enabling Violence and Instability, written by Bruce E. Bechtol Jr., (2018)

North Korean Military Proliferation in the Middle East and Africa: Enabling Violence and Instability, written by Bruce E. Bechtol Jr., (2018)

North Korean military Changes under Kim Jong Un’s Regime

North Korean military Changes under Kim Jong Un’s Regime

‘밑으로부터의 냉전’, 그 연쇄와 환류 : 1957∼1963년 미국의 동아시아 냉전 전략 전환과 한국 군부의 ‘대민활동(civic action)’ 시행

‘밑으로부터의 냉전’, 그 연쇄와 환류 : 1957∼1963년 미국의 동아시아 냉전 전략 전환과 한국 군부의 ‘대민활동(civic action)’ 시행

2018 팔렘방 아시안 게임 대표팀 구성 과정에서 나타난 전문운동선수 병역제도의 맹점에 관한 비판적 담론

This research aimed to define the types of military service for Korean athletes and to interpret the case of joining the national team for the Military Service Exemption policy based on Korean Constitution and Military Service Law of Korea and prove the illegality. This study is about a latest controversy regarding the Military Service Exemption policy after 2018 Palembang Asian Games. The Military Service Exemption is a compensatory policy for the athletes who contribute on national team of Korea in International Sports Events. With this reason, the Military Service Exemption policy must administer after the contribution. However, become a national athlete for the Military Service Exemption and contributed on the team closely nothing, possibly be interpreted an severe illegal military exemption, was discovered after the 2018 Palembang Asian Games. The research results were as follow; First, There are five types of military service for athletes in Korea. Second, unconstitutionality was discovered in the policy and the illegality of the military service exempted athletes was not completed. There are several alternatives for the weaknesses and those are proposes at the end of this research.

Anaplasma bovis infection in a horse: First clinical report and molecular analysis

A 23-year-old male Thoroughbred horse at the Korean Military Academy appeared thin with visible rib bones and presented clinical signs of fever, anorexia, lethargy, and severe dehydration. To determine the presence of various febrile disease-causing agents, the 23 cohabiting horses at the academy, including this horse, were subjected to hematology, blood chemistry, and molecular analysis using whole blood samples collected during regular medical check-ups. On the basis of clinical history, physical examination, hematology, blood chemistry, and fecal examination, differential diagnosis using molecular analyses was performed for various febrile disease-causing agents, including Lyme borreliae, Coxiella, piroplasms (Babesia and Theileria), Rickettsiales (Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, and Rickettsia), equine herpesvirus, equine infectious anemia virus, and equine arteritis virus. While other pathogens were not detected, PCR and phylogenetic analysis targeting the Anaplasma 16S rRNA gene revealed that the horse was infected with Anaplasma bovis. Although PCR targeting the groEL and gltA genes of A. bovis was not successful, the restriction enzyme fragment length polymorphism assay for differential diagnosis and determination of coinfectivity between Anaplasma phagocytophilum and A. bovis confirmed the pathogen as A. bovis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first clinical report of A. bovis infection in a horse, suggesting a new reservoir host.

The Infectivity of Pulmonary Tuberculosis in Korean Army Units: Evidence from Outbreak Investigations.

BackgroundTuberculosis (TB) causes substantial health burden to the Korean military. This study aims to assess the impact of infectious TB cases on close and casual contacts in the Korean Army settings based on contact investigation data.MethodsSix Army units with infectious TB cases from September 2012 to May 2013 were enrolled in the study. We analyzed the clinical data from close and casual contacts screened using the tuberculin skin test (TST) and QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube to identify latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) cases. For the control group, 286 military conscripts with no reported TB exposure were tested by TST only.ResultsOf the 667 contacts of index cases, LTBI cases identified were as follows: 21.8% of close contacts of smear-positive cases (71/326), 8.5% of casual contacts of smear-positive cases (26/305), and 2.8% of close contacts of smear-negative cases (1/36). In the control group, 16.8% showed positivity in TST. In a multivariate analysis, having stayed in the same room or next room with TB patients was identified as a risk factor of LTBI.ConclusionUsing the data from TB contact investigations in the Korean Army units, we found an overall LTBI rate of 14.7% among the contacts screened. This study demonstrates that contacts living in the same building, especially the same room or next room, with TB patients are at a high risk of acquiring LTBI, serving as additional evidence for defining close and casual contacts of a TB patient with regard to Army barrack settings.

THE VIETNAM PIETA: SHAPING THE MEMORY OF SOUTH KOREA’S PARTICIPATION IN THE VIETNAM WAR

Conceived to commemorate the victims of South Korea’s participation in the Vietnam War, the statue of the Vietnam Pieta invites us to question who shapes the memory of this neglected facet of the conflict. The present article analyzes the various actors involved in this contentious process in and across both countries, starting with the South Korean activists behind the statue’s making and the movement for recognizing the crimes committed by their army. Examining these activists’ advocacy work since the late 1990s, the article argues that they are triply situated in the fight over remembering South Korea’s intervention in Vietnam. Truth advocates first appear in a position of privilege and leadership vis-à-vis Vietnamese victims of South Korean military wrongdoings, which raises the issue of the material and political asymmetries at stake in the construction of memory. Simultaneously, the same advocates occupy a position of marginality vis-à-vis the dominant public discourse held on the war by Hanoi and Seoul, whose common interest lies in deepening their mutually beneficial but unequal economic partnership. Thirdly, the memory of the conflict pits truth activists against another group within their own civil society: veterans’ organizations aggressively denying all war crimes accusations. Ultimately, remembering the war is not the object of a bilateral dispute between the South Korean and Vietnamese states, but rather a site of domestic tensions within South Korea itself.

Experience and Current Use of Heated Tobacco Products in Korean Military Personnel

Experience and Current Use of Heated Tobacco Products in Korean Military Personnel

Stress Management of KOREAN MILITARY Leaders

Stress Management of KOREAN MILITARY Leaders

The Lived Experience of Korean Female Military Nursing Officers During the Vietnam War.

Introduction: Between 1964 and 1973, more than 550 Korean female nursing officers were deployed to the Vietnam War as part of the Korean military. Their achievements were overshadowed by the male combat troops. The purpose of this study was to explore the essence of their lived experiences. Method: Using the hermeneutic phenomenological approach, the data were collected through in-depth interviews with 14 Korean female nursing officers who were deployed to the Vietnam War. Results: Seven essential themes were derived: Enduring confusion, Being devoted to duty, Establishing deep comradeship, Realizing the dark side of war, Being discriminated against as female, Achieving and being rewarded, and Growing as leaders. Conclusion: This study acquired valuable data on nursing history and useful information on the psychological, physical, and environmental difficulties that could be faced by female nurses working in conflicts, wars, and disaster situations.

Invisible Others: Institutional Homophobia and Identities of Sexual Minority in the Korean Military

최근 한국에서는 군대 내 동성애를 국가적 위기와 연결하는 반동성애 담론이 거세지고 있다. ‘군형법상 추행죄’나 ‘부대관리훈령’이 2000년대 중반 이후 정비되는 과정에서 군대 내 동성애(자)는 관리되어야 할 변태적 존재이자 처벌받아야 할 대상으로 규정되어 왔다. 본 연구는 그러한 배경 아래에서 군대 내 남성 동성애자의 경험을 중심으로 군대와 동성애(자) 간 관계를 분석하는 것을 목표로 한다. 군대 내 동성애(자)를 ‘문제’로 호명하는 반동성애 담론 내지는 법 담론과는 달리 실제 군대 내 비규범적 성 정체성은 고정적이고 본질적인 속성이나 범주이기보다는 과정으로서 존재한다. 동성애(자)는 군대 내에서 존재하지 않는 것으로 간주되거나 존재를 드러내지 않도록 강요당하며, 이들에 대한 차별대우는 공적/사적 영역 그리고 행위와 존재라는 허구적 구분을 통해 정당화된다. 폐쇄적이고 위계적 공간 속에서 성소수자는 이성애자로 ‘패싱’하여 남성 연대 속으로 편입되기를 시도하거나, 군인됨을 성공적으로 수행함으로써 살아남는 전략을 택하기도 한다. 반면 어떤 이들은 군대에서 자신의 성 정체성을 비로소 자각하고 받아들임으로써, 남성이지만 ‘이성애자 군인’이 아닌 ‘내부의 외부인’의 관점으로 남성중심적인 군대 문화를 비판하기도 한다. 이는 군대라는 제도적이고 문화적인 조건 속에서 성소수자 군인들이 수행하는 자기재현이 동성애의 비가시화와 커밍아웃에 따른 제도적 폭력 간 딜레마에 빠져있음을 역설적으로 보여준다. 본 연구는 이러한 딜레마가 성소수자의 전략적 젠더실천 때문이 아니라, 성차별적이고 동성애혐오적인 군대라는 제도, 이성애-남성중심적 한국사회 자체에서 비롯한 것임을 밝히고자 한다.

A Study on the Influencing Factors on Public Trust in the Korean Military Manpower Service: Focusing on the Trust-building Measure in order to Resolve Citizen-Government Conflict

A Study on the Influencing Factors on Public Trust in the Korean Military Manpower Service: Focusing on the Trust-building Measure in order to Resolve Citizen-Government Conflict

A Study on Prevention and Countermeasures of Sexual Assault in the Korean Military - Focusing on US SAPRO -

A Study on Prevention and Countermeasures of Sexual Assault in the Korean Military - Focusing on US SAPRO -

Sex/Gender Insecurities

AbstractThis article examines the South Korean military's treatment of trans people in the context of all “able-bodied men” being conscripted for two years. While trans men are exempt from service because they are not considered able-bodied men, trans women pose a significant complication for the rigid military conscription system, given that most trans women in their early twenties—the time when most will be drafted into service—have yet to change their legal gender identification. As the military's definition of one's anatomical makeup is the key criterion for conscription or exemption, the transgender body is a material manifestation of the insecurities of a rigid sex/gender system perpetuated by a masculine and patriarchal military institution. Written on the bodies of trans people is the militarization of the sex/gender system. The Cold War–born Korean military—a geopolitical binary pitting the Democratic People's Republic of Korea against the Republic of Korea—is faced with bodies in transition and resorts to anatomical determinism for the sake of national defense and (re)production.

미주 한인 국제결혼 이주여성의 사회적, 문화적 자본의 활용: 미국 빈민촌 흑인들과의 교류를 중심으로

미주 한인 국제결혼 이주여성의 사회적, 문화적 자본의 활용: 미국 빈민촌 흑인들과의 교류를 중심으로

Strategic Priorities to Improve Effectiveness of Anti-smoking Interventions for the Korean Military: An Application of the Analytic Hierarchy Process.

As South Korea remains technically at war with the North, higher smoking prevalence in the military might adversely affect the South Korea's military power and contribute to lifetime smoking in men with mandatory military service. This study was to identify priorities among the anti-smoking strategies to improve the existing smoking cessation programs for the Korean military. The analytic hierarchy process model with a goal, decision criteria, and sub-criteria as well as candidate strategies, was developed following a literature search and expert group discussion. A survey for pairwise comparison was conducted to determine the priority of the (sub-)criteria and strategies by 14 experts. The Super-Decisions software was used to determine the priorities and to analyze their consistency ratios and sensitivities. The study was approved by the ethics committee of the Korea Ministry of Health and Welfare. Eight candidate strategies were developed to improve the effectiveness of military anti-smoking interventions as follows: (1) development of outcome enhancement plans for smoking cessation programs for the military, (2) development of differentiated smoking cessation programs for specific groups, (3) building of community network for continuity and accessibility of anti-smoking project, (4) building of industry-academia-government networks for anti-smoking project, (5) improvement of the perception of and strengthen the reward for smoking cessation, (6) development of a training system for army clinicians for the delivery of smoking cessation services, (7) creation of a certification system for smoking cessation programs, and (8) development of an evaluation system of project performance for smoking cessation. Through the analytic hierarchy process survey, the military specificity and its sub-criterion of practicality were selected as the top concerns of decision criteria for the anti-smoking strategies among the decision criteria of outcome improvement, military specificity, publicness, and economic efficiency. The most important strategy was to improve the perception of and strengthen the reward for smoking cessation. This strategy was most focused on the creation of an anti-smoking environment and improvement of the effectiveness of the projects. The creation of a training system for army clinicians for the delivery of smoking cessation services ranked second. In conclusion, motivating smoking cessation and utilizing well-trained army clinicians were found to be the most important anti-smoking strategies for the Korean military. This study might provide valuable insights for policy makers to reduce tobacco use in the Korean military.

Path Dependence In North Korean Military Negotiation Agendas

Path Dependence In North Korean Military Negotiation Agendas

한국 여군의 역할 확대 방안에 관한 연구

한국 여군의 역할 확대 방안에 관한 연구