By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
Young males who are proficient in a foreign language will be able to serve their mandatory military service as police officers in preparation for the G-20 summit and other international events, the National Police Agency said Sunday.
Those selected will be stationed at foreign residences and offices as well as international airports. They will also take charge of dealing with foreigners exclusively instead of conventional police duties such as sobriety tests, suppression of protests or cracking down on large illegal events.
This is the first time police have searched for people with language skills; currently it selects people with cooking, medical, vehicle driving and video imaging skills to serve as temporary officers.
Police plan to recruit 100 people with good language proficiency.
The NPA is looking for those fluent in English, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, French, German, Russian and Arabic. Applicants must turn in relevant test results and certificates to prove they resided in those respective countries for a long time.