saladdresser

Add Radio Free Asia to that list. Oh and get this, she worked for the State Department at Guantanamo Bay.

I know someone recently discharged from Korean military service who's informed me of the poor morale in the lower ranks + the vast range of demographics forced to serve, from nearly destitute to wealthy. Considering this, the poor presentation of American troops stationed in Korea as of late, and the recent scandal about inadequate bulletproof vests used in the DMZ, how do you feel about the Korean military's ability to deploy and respond to emergency situations along the border?

You can PM me if you don't want to publicly discuss this.

From what you've just said, I'd like to branch this off into two questions: a) are those who attend the ROK military academies generally from the upper or lower classes? b) you say that the DMZ-stationed troops are generally better equipped than the rest of the ROK forces. But in what ways can troops stationed there be considered superior to their reserve and usual regular army counterparts? Or are DMZ troops considered cannon fodder?

The reason for the first question is I want to know whether there is a pattern of respect or disrespect between commissioned and non-commissioned soldiers in the ROK not due to rank, but rather because of how wealthy they are and who their parents are.

The reason for the second question is I know of some countries where the most elite formations (tank divisions, military police units, presidential guards) are stationed at the capital, and border troops are specialised, but not exactly top tier.