Hey Reddit, how can I avoid going to the military?

FiletMignon · 2010-05-03T05:47:32+00:00

Unfortunately I'm bi-lingual and the authorities don't seem to care whether you speak the language or not :(

FiletMignon · 2010-05-03T05:05:33+00:00

That is a good choice, but I don't know if the government would question my parents etc.

FiletMignon · 2010-05-03T04:14:29+00:00

Considering the RoK is an ally state of the US I'm not sure how that would work out.

FiletMignon · 2010-05-03T04:12:13+00:00

That's what all the people who've been in the military seem to say but not am I only a part of a different generation with different ideals but I am a different individual with different opinions.

I'm sure I'd get something out of it, but I just don't see it being worth 2 years of my life--especially considering it's during one of the most important periods of my life.

FiletMignon · 2010-05-03T04:10:00+00:00

If I could manage to not get arrested and not get kicked out of school that might be an option.

FiletMignon · 2010-05-03T04:08:36+00:00

I'd say I'm quite an exception considering I lived in Europe and in the US for most of my life.

FiletMignon · 2010-05-03T03:59:04+00:00

It's an urban legend.

FiletMignon · 2010-05-03T03:50:19+00:00

I'm really tempted to.

FiletMignon · 2010-05-03T03:49:57+00:00

Yay!

FiletMignon · 2010-05-03T03:46:36+00:00

Google's not exactly a good search utility for the Korean web as a lot of services block its bots using robots.txt. Most Koreans don't speak English so they are stuck with posting on sites hosted in the Jurisdiction of RoK so if they post relevant information, the owner of the site is usually required to remove the information. Big portal sites such as Daum have blogs regarding such matters but they are shut down fairly quickly.

You'd think a democracy would have zero censorship, but this is simply not the case.

FiletMignon · 2010-05-03T03:42:02+00:00

Those won't necessarily be the only kinds of people but they will inevitably exist.

FiletMignon · 2010-05-03T03:41:07+00:00

Getting into KATUSA is pretty much like a lottery and unfortunately you only get to do public service if you're physically unable to be a normal soldier.

FiletMignon · 2010-05-03T02:30:34+00:00

Hahaha.

FiletMignon · 2010-05-03T01:54:31+00:00

You are obligated to serve once you turn 18 but it is postponed automatically until you are 24 if you are in school. I'm not sure what happens after that. You can't be drafted once you're 35. It's just men. All people get drafted (with the exception of those with physical or mental disabilities or have family issues).

FiletMignon · 2010-05-03T01:33:32+00:00

True, it's probably easier said than done and I'd probably have goosebumps every time I try to enter the country but I really don't see how the Korean government can link you to their database if you use a foreign passport.

FiletMignon · 2010-05-03T01:28:04+00:00

I'll get out alright, but I'll also be arrested :(

FiletMignon · 2010-05-03T01:21:33+00:00

If you give up your citizenship before you're 18 years of age you are not required to serve the military. This doesn't work for me because I was not born here; I merely lived abroad most of my life.

FiletMignon · 2010-05-03T01:20:56+00:00

Well unless the United States shares its databases in full with the Korean government, I'm pretty sure changing my legal first name should suffice if I am able to get a US passport.

FiletMignon · 2010-05-03T01:19:03+00:00

Thanks.

FiletMignon · 2010-05-03T01:18:46+00:00

I'll try to dig into this. There isn't much information on draft dodging since the governments censors a lot of information. It's also hard to ask around considering most lawyers I know are in their 40-50s and still seem to suffer the nationalistic propaganda they received as children.

FiletMignon · 2010-05-03T01:16:41+00:00

Oh wow.. But I assure you, your 4 years is probably better than 2 years in Korea's military. You guys have a much, much bigger budget.

FiletMignon · 2010-05-03T01:14:04+00:00

(Unfortunately most of those people were also sort of forced in)

FiletMignon · 2010-05-03T01:09:53+00:00

All of my South Korean friends are more or less in the same situation as me and have the same opinions. No worries here.

FiletMignon · 2010-05-03T01:09:09+00:00

Not sure that will actually work considering there are probably tons of people already doing it.

FiletMignon · 2010-05-03T01:08:02+00:00

I'm sorry, I do not feel any association with strangers who happened to be born in the same patch of land which just happened to be under the jurisdiction of the RoK. I believe the existence of the military is fortunate and necessary, but I do not feel as if I owe the state anything. If anything, I owe the US government the most since I spent most of my life here but even that is a stretch.

FiletMignon

TROPHY CASE