by JAMES S. KIM | @james_s_kim
editor@charactermedia.com
The South Korean Marine Corps will see their first female ROTC cadet next month, according to the Korea Times.
Kim Sang-a, a 24-year-old sophomore at Jeju National University, passed her Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) screening test last June and, earlier this month, completed her two-week military training. Kim’s cadet enlistment ceremony is scheduled for next month.
Photo credit: Korea Times
“I am proud of myself to realize my dream after a long and hard time at the camp,” Kim told the Korea Times. “I want to become a role model for junior female ROTC cadets, proving women can also serve in the military.”
The Seoul native has been studying in the Department of Marine Industrial and Maritime Police with the goal of becoming a ROTC cadet. Until recently, however, female students had not been able to apply for the Marine Corps as an ROTC cadet.
The women’s ROTC program is still relatively new as it was established in 2010 at seven universities. That number has grown to 70 schools with an ROTC program for female students. The program has subsequently increased the number of slots available to 250; last year, nearly 1,500 female students applied.
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Featured photo courtesy of Zimbio
