What is WATCHCON?

Introduction Watch Condition (WATCHCON) is an alert state system used by and coordinated between the South Korean armed forces and United States Department of Defence to measure reconnaissance posture, utilised often in matters concerning North Korea. Other Systems Should not be confused with similar systems used by the US military, such as: Alert Condition (LERTCON).… Read More

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Say What! Earplug Use & Hearing Loss in ROK Military Personnel

Research Paper Title Associations between earplug use and hearing loss in ROK military personnel. Background The easiest way to prevent noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is to wear earplugs. The Republic of Korea (ROK) Ministry of National Defence (MND) is supplying earplugs to prevent NIHL, but many patients still suffer from this. The researchers speculated that… Read More

Outlining the Unmet Healthcare Needs of ROK Personnel

Research Paper Title Annual Disease Experience by Type and Correlations with Unmet Healthcare Needs among ROK Military Personnel. Background The National Statistical Yearbook of Defence 2018 issued by the Republic of Korea (ROK) Ministry of National Defence reported that the number of patients using military hospitals steadily increased from 2008 to 2017. However, in the… Read More

South Korea & Conscientious Objectors

“Lim jae-sung is a mild-mannered lawyer in his thirties with a fondness for monogrammed shirts and human-rights cases. Owing to South Korea’s strict military-service laws, he is also a convicted criminal with a prison record. Mr Lim refused to serve in the army after becoming involved with the anti-war movement sparked by the dispatch of… Read More

Why Must We Always Fight…

“Why must we always fight? Even at this moment, the world is constantly struggling through conflict and war, and our innocent children and parents are dying and being sacrificed on battlefields of death and destruction.” (Kim, 2010, p.139) Reference Kim, Y-K. & Miok, D.P. (Trans) (2010) The Future: A Road to Unification of the Korean… Read More

Improving the Effectiveness of Anti-Smoking Interventions in the South Korean Military

Research Paper Title Strategic Priorities to Improve Effectiveness of Anti-smoking Interventions for the Korean Military: An Application of the Analytic Hierarchy Process. Background 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… Read More