By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
Former South Korean reinforcement troops for the U.S. Army will launch next month an association for volunteer works to help strengthen the Korea-U.S. alliance, the group said Wednesday.
The KATUSA Veteran's Association will hold an inaugural meeting Feb. 15, following a meeting between representatives of the group and Gen. B. B. Bell, commander of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), Feb. 11, the head of the association said.
KATUSA stands for Korean Augumentation Troops to the U.S. Army.
The KATUSA program began in July 1950 during the Korean War (1950-53) to meet manpower requirements, as well as help U.S. soldiers dispatched to the Korean Peninsula maneuver in unfamiliar terrain.
The program has since acted as a de facto liaison between the South Korean and U.S. militaries. Currently, about 3,000 KATUSAs are serving in U.S. military units in South Korea.
KATUSA soldiers account for about 10 percent of the USFK manpower. About 27,000 U.S. troops are stationed here as a deterrent against communist North Korea.
"We've formed this association to contribute to enhancing the Korea-U.S. alliance through various volunteer works at a time when a more strengthened alliance is needed,'' Shim Sang-don, 50, head of the association, told The Korea Times. "We also plan to initiate programs not only to help promote friendship among KATUSA veterans but to help locals in need through volunteer works.''
President-elect Lee Myung-bak has called for a stronger Korea-U.S. alliance, which he boasts is one of the strongest combined defense readiness forces in the world.
About 600 former KATUSAs have joined the association through an online community _ www.katusa.mil.kr _ since last November, Shim said, adding there are some 500,000 KATUSA veterans in South Korea.
A ceremony to mark the association's inauguration is scheduled for April 24 at the Yongsan Garrison in central Seoul, he said.
A key campaign of the group is to support mixed-race South Koreans and their families, who often suffer discrimination in their workplace, schools and other social settings, said Shim who serves as chief executive officer of Starkey Korea, a hearing aid firm in Seoul.
Shim served as a KATUSA medic at the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division, north of Seoul, between 1979 and 1982.
The association will also run programs to help active KATUSAs learn and understand U.S. customs and English, Shim said.
KATUSAs are selected randomly through computer program from among applicants having 700 or more scores in the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) or 625 points or more in the Test of English Proficiency developed by Seoul National University (TEPS). Application is limited to once per person per lifetime.