South Koreans tend not to think about North Korea very much. But for me, this year will be different. Just after the new year began, my 19-year-old son suspended his university studies to join a frontline unit for his compulsory military service.

韩国人往往不太关心朝鲜问题。但对我来说，今年将会不同。就在新年开始后，我19岁儿子会中断了大学的学业，加入了一支前线部队，开始履行他的义务兵役。

Attending a ceremony for the new recruits in the freezing Seoul weather, many parents were visibly worried as to how their sons would adapt to military life. The general in charge of the frontline unit stressed the “sacred duty” of South Korean men to guard the nation against the threat of nuclear-armed North Korea.

在首尔寒冷的天气里参加新兵入伍仪式时，许多家长都表现出明显的担忧，担心他们的儿子能否适应军旅生活。负责前线部队的将军强调，韩国男子的 "神圣职责 "是保卫国家，抵御拥有核武器的朝鲜的威胁。
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处


Some tearful mothers rushed to their boys to say goodbye after the brief ceremony, ignoring the efforts of military guards to block them. The young draftees, with their newly-shaved buzz cuts, waved to their families and friends as they left for the camp where they would begin their five-week basic training.

在简短的仪式结束后，一些母亲泪流满面的和自己孩子作道别，无视军方士兵的阻拦。这些新兵理发后挥手向家人和朋友告别，然后前往开始为期五周的基础训练营地。

Tensions are mounting once again on the Korean peninsula. But along with other parents, I am more worried about what awaits my son on our own side of the border. The bullying and hazing of conscxts has led to shooting rampages and suicides in the past.

朝鲜半岛的紧张局势再次升级。但和其他家长一样，我更担心我儿子在这边的境况。过去，新兵遭受欺凌和虐待曾导致枪击事件和自杀。

My son asked me at the dinner table just days before joining the army: “What should I do if I am pushed to choose between killing myself or shooting someone else?” Horrified by his question, I can only hope that the so-called “barracks culture” has improved.

我儿子在参军前几天在餐桌上问我：“如果我被迫选择自杀或开枪打死别人，我该怎么办？”面对他的问题，我只能希望所谓的“军营文化”已经有所改善。

Thankfully, he called me a few days later, announcing that his first few days in the army were much better than expected. “The food here is great, much better than what I eat at home,” he said in a cheerful voice. I was too relieved to be offended.

值得庆幸的是，几天后他给我打来电话，宣布他在部队的头几天比预期的要好得多。"他兴高采烈地说："这里的伙食很好，比我在家里吃的好多了。我松了一口气。

Still, like many potential Korean conscxts and their parents, I hope that the country will soon be able to eliminate the draft and move to an all-volunteer armed force.

然而，像许多潜在的韩国应征者和他们的父母一样，我希望这个国家很快能够取消征兵制，转为全志愿的武装部队。

Conscxtion is a sensitive social issue in South Korea. Military service is enshrined in the country’s constitution, requiring all able-bodied men aged between 18 and 35 to serve the military for 18 to 21 months. Even members of BTS, the K-pop sensation, could not avoid it.

征兵在韩国是一个敏感的社会问题。军队服役是在宪法中所规定的，要求所有18到35岁之间的健康男性服役18到21个月。即使是韩国流行乐天团BTS的成员也无法逃避。
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处


Military service is seen as a rite of passage for Korean men, but many conscxts also view it as lost time, given they have to suspend their career or education to take part. “There will be almost no draftee who wouldn’t feel it is a waste of time, even if it is to serve the nation,” says my 26-year-old nephew, who completed his service four years ago.

服兵役被视为韩国男性的成人礼，但许多应征者也认为这是浪费时间，因为他们不得不中断自己的职业或学业来参军。“几乎所有应征者都觉得这是浪费时间，即使是为了报效国家，” 我26岁的侄子说，他在四年前完成了自己的服役时间。

Only elite athletes such as Olympics medallists and internationally renowned classical musicians are officially exempt from service, although there are regular controversies about the fairness of the exemption standards.

只有奥运奖牌获得者和国际知名的古典音乐家等人，才会被正式豁免服役，虽然豁免标准的公平性经常引发争议。

South Korea keeps an active-duty force of about half a million troops, but the country’s falling birth rate will compel it to downsize its forces. Still, calling for an all-volunteer force remains a taboo for Korean politicians.

韩国保持着大约五十万人左右的现役部队，但该国日益下降的出生率也在迫使其缩减军队规模。然而，呼吁建立一支全志愿军仍然是韩国政治家的禁忌。

Among ordinary Koreans, there is anger that wealthy and powerful elites, including the scions of big family-run conglomerates, have been able to evade conscxtion. They fear that an all-volunteer force would mean units filled exclusively with those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

普通韩国人对有钱有势的精英（包括家族大企业的后代）能逃避征兵感到怒不可遏。他们担心，一支全义务部队将意味着军队人员完全被弱势背景的人填满。
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处


“It wouldn’t work. Other countries with the system are already struggling to recruit soldiers,” says Chun In-bum, a retired South Korean lieutenant-general. “Only people from certain social classes will become soldiers, which is very risky and unhealthy.”

“这行不通。其他有这一制度的国家已经在招募士兵方面遇到困难，”退役韩国中将全仁范说道。“只有来自特定社会阶层的人才当兵，这非常危险和不正常的。”

The difficulty of maintaining the current size of the country’s standing forces has forced military authorities to review the possibility of recruiting orphans (considered a vulnerable group) and North Korean defectors, both of whom are currently exempt. It has also rekindled debate over whether mandatory military service should also apply to women.

由于难以维持常备军的现有规模，当局不得不重新考虑招募孤儿（被视为弱势群体）和朝鲜叛逃者的可能性，而这两种人目前都不在招募之列。这也重新引发了关于强制兵役是否也应适用于女性的争论。

But Kim Hyung-nam, a co-ordinator at the Center for Military Human Rights, says that reforming the barracks culture should be the top priority, whether it is a conscxtion-based or all-volunteer force.

但军事人权中心的协调员金亨南表示，无论是基于征兵还是全面实行志愿兵役，改革军队文化应该是首要任务。

“We are still seeing non-combat deaths of around 100 a year, the bulk of them being suicides,” he says. “Young men hate to join the military and will not volunteer unless their treatment improves.”

“我们每年大约有一百名士兵是非战斗死亡，其中大部分是自杀，”他说。“年轻人不愿意加入军队，除非他们的待遇得到改善。”

原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处