Commissioned from 3 Military Academies... Second Lieutenant Choi Hyun-sung with 'Two Service Numbers' Wins Presidential Award

[Asia Economy Military Specialist Yang Nak-gyu]The Korea Army Academy at Yeongcheon will hold the 56th graduation and commissioning ceremony on the afternoon of the 3rd at the 3rd Academy Loyalty Parade Ground in Yeongcheon, Gyeongbuk, presided over by Defense Minister Seo Wook.

The 483 cadets (including 24 female officers) receiving the second lieutenant rank today entered in 2019 and completed a two-year curriculum of general majors and military science. Depending on their major, they will receive a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, or Bachelor of Engineering degree along with a Bachelor of Military Science degree.

The event will be held with a minimum number of attendees and no external guests invited to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). For families unable to attend, the ceremony will be live-streamed on the Defense Media Agency’s YouTube and Facebook channels.

Second Lieutenant Choi Hyun-sung, who will receive the President’s Award for highest academic achievement, has prior experience serving as a non-commissioned officer in the Army’s 5th Division GOP (General Outpost) unit. Upon commissioning today, he will have two military service numbers.

Second Lieutenant Choi said, "Even as a non-commissioned officer, I had strong pride in the military uniform and the Taegeukgi on my shoulder, but now that I am commissioned as an officer, that pride and honor have become even stronger."

The Prime Minister’s Award will be presented to Second Lieutenant Kim Young-jae, and the Defense Minister’s Award to Second Lieutenant Kim Nam-gyu.

Second Lieutenant Hwang Sun-young, the granddaughter of the late Corporal Seo Sang-an, who served in the Capital Division during the Korean War, will receive her grandfather’s Hwarang Military Merit Medal on his behalf. Second Lieutenant Hwang said, "I am honored to carry on the noble spirit of my grandfather who dedicated himself to the nation."

There will also be third-generation military families present. Second Lieutenant Park In-jun will follow in the footsteps of his late grandfather, Lieutenant Colonel Park Young-yoon, who fought in the Korean and Vietnam Wars, and his father, who retired as an Army lieutenant, by becoming an Army officer. Second Lieutenant Park Ji-won holds a total of 13 martial arts dan certificates, including 4th dan in Taekwondo, 3rd dan in Special Forces Martial Arts, 3rd dan in Hapkido, 2nd dan in Yongmudo, and 1st dan in Kickboxing.

Established in 1968 with the goal of training elite junior officers, the Korea Army Academy at Yeongcheon is the world’s only transfer admission military academy where students enter in their third and fourth years of university and commission as elite officers. Over the past 50 years, it has produced more than 150,000 officers.