Female soldier becomes JSA guard

Sergeant First Class Seong Yu-jin of the Republic of Korea Army poses at a shooting course at the Liberty Bell Range?in the Joint Security Area (JSA) inside the Demilitarized Zone, Friday. / Courtesy of Kookbangilbo

By Park Ji-won

Sergeant First Class Seong Yu-jin has become the country's first female soldier to serve in the Security Battalion at the Joint Security Area (JSA), according to the Ministry of Defense.

Seong has been serving as a non-commissioned officer in charge of training at the unit under the Military Armistice Commission of the United Nations Command since Dec. 26.

The battalion has various duties such as evacuating noncombatant troops in emergency situations; dealing with complaints from local residents in Daeseong-dong, the only village inside the demilitarized zone (DMZ); and escorting prominent figures during joint events hosted by civic groups, the government and the military; as well as devising all training programs.

The Security Battalion has never had a South Korean female soldier deployed to it since its foundation in May 1952, although the U.S. army deployed several female soldiers in support department there in the past.

"The first title as a female soldier to become a member of the JSA Security Battalion is a weight on my shoulders, but I will do my best to be a suitable soldier with the best title rather than first," Seong said in a press release.

To pass the Republic of Korea Army test to join the unit, she engaged in physical training every day after her daily duties and earned a third-degree black belt in taekwondo, the release added.

She joined the army in July 2013 and started her service as a squad commander at the 50th Infantry Division, working on weapon management and training support.

In February, Master Sergeant Choi Jeong-eun will also join Seong at the Security Battalion, the second female NCO. Choi joined the Army in 1999 and has served in various units including, coincidentally, the 50th Infantry Division, Army Headquarters, and the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command to build expertise in human resources.

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