Man in love with military career

Second lieutenant Kim Jun-bae, left, poses with his wife, first lieutenant Cho Sun-young, and daughter.

By Kang Seung-woo

Most Korean men may want to avoid serving their mandatory military service, but one man who finished his, went on to enlist in the military full time. He even led his wife to choose a military career.

Second Lieutenant Kim Jun-bae finished his military service as a riot police officer in 2005, but while working for a security company he decided to enlist as a non-commissioned officer in 2009.

In addition, he persuaded his wife Cho Sun-young to pursue a military career.

Kim started dating Cho in 2006 and convinced her to also take a military path. She was commissioned as a military nursing officer in 2011 as a first lieutenant.

In the Korean military, there are 1,124 military couples, most of whom have higher-ranked husbands, but it is vice versa between Cho and Kim.

They tied the knot in 2011 and had a daughter in April 2012. Feeling responsible for supporting his family, Kim applied to become a commissioned officer in December last year and was made a second-lieutenant.

Kim applied to serve in a border unit in Inje, Gangwon Province, and was given command of a general outpost Tuesday.

“I will be in Inje until February next year. I cannot see my wife working at the Armed Forces Medical Command in Daejeon and my daughter being taken care of by my mother-in-law in Daegu,” Kim said.

“But a couple is a partnership, always taking the same direction in life and the same direction in serving the country.”