Reform Party Floor Leader Chun Ha-ram to Become First Sitting Lawmaker to Undergo Military Boot Camp Training
Key Takeaways
- •Rep. Chun Ha-ram will be the first sitting National Assembly member to undergo basic military training as a trainee soldier.
- •Chun will enter the Army's 27th Recruit Training Regiment in Nonsan on August 12 for a two-night, three-day training session.
- •The lawmaker will participate in combat training, a 20-kilometer night march, and overnight guard duty alongside regular recruits.
- •Chun serves on the National Assembly's National Defense Committee, and his firsthand experience could shape legislative oversight of military welfare and training conditions.
- •The training visit was initiated by Chun's office and occurs amid sustained public attention on soldiers' living standards and troop readiness challenges linked to a shrinking conscript population.
Rep. Chun Ha-ram, floor leader of the minor opposition Reform Party, is set to become the first sitting member of the National Assembly to participate in basic military training as a trainee soldier.
According to Chun's office, the lawmaker — who serves on the National Assembly's National Defense Committee — will enter the Army's 27th Recruit Training Regiment in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province, on Aug. 12 for a two-night, three-day training session. The Nonsan installation is one of the Army's primary recruit training centers, where all conscripted soldiers in the region begin their service under South Korea's mandatory military conscription system, which requires all able-bodied men to serve roughly 18 to 21 months.
On the first day, Chun will be issued a combat uniform, military gear, and other supplies, living under the same conditions as the other recruits. The following day, he will take part in comprehensive individual combat training and a 20-kilometer night march, as well as stand guard duty overnight. According to reports, this training is normally conducted during the fourth or fifth week of basic military training.
The visit was arranged after Chun's office first proposed the idea to the military. During his stay, Chun plans to live alongside the recruits and listen to their concerns and difficulties. As a National Defense Committee member, Chun's experience could feed directly into legislative oversight of military welfare, training conditions, and defense policy — areas that have drawn sustained public attention amid ongoing debates over soldiers' living standards and the broader challenge of maintaining troop readiness with a shrinking conscript population.
"Although it is only a two-night, three-day schedule, I planned it to share the hardships with the new recruits who are undergoing strenuous training despite the extreme heat," Chun said. "I will take part in the training with gratitude to all members of our armed forces who are sacrificing and dedicating their youth to protecting the lives and property of our people."
A former lawyer, Chun completed his mandatory military service as a public service legal officer with the Korea Legal Aid Corporation.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.
