Harvard graduate holds off green card to serve nation

First Lieutenant Yang Jung-hoon of the Republic of Korea Air Force. / Courtesy of the Republic of Korea Air Force

By Jun Ji-hye

First Lieutenant Yang Jung-hoon, a graduate of Harvard Law School, was commissioned into the Republic of Korea Air Force on March 30 after deciding not to apply for a green card in the United States.

His decision drew attention as more Korean men are leaving for other countries to dodge mandatory military service.

Yang, 28, who passed the bar exams in New York and Massachusetts in 2017 after graduating from the law school in 2016, is serving at the Air Force headquarters, taking charge of reviewing international laws, agreements and treaties.

He migrated with his family to the United States when he was an elementary schoolchild, but has kept thinking about the importance of obligation to serve in the military as a Korean man, he said.

“I also thought it would be great if I could utilize what I learned to serve the nation,” he said.

Yang said he decided to become a lawyer to help those in need, based on his experience of his family being scammed when they arrived in the United States.

“We were swindled by our E-2 visa sponsor and suffered financial difficulties,” he said. “We had difficult years as we were unable to receive proper legal assistance because of a lack of funds to hire an attorney.”

At the time, he worked at a restaurant during the day and studied at night.

When studying at Harvard, he participated in volunteer activities aimed at supporting those in vulnerable social groups.

He was a student representative of the Harvard Tenant Advocacy Project, designed to offer legal support to tenants of public housing at hearings. He also participated in the Greater Boston Legal Service, an organization providing free legal services to low-income earners.

“I am glad I can share my knowledge when serving the nation,” Yang said. “After completing my military service, I want to become a public interest lawyer to help those who are unable to receive proper legal aid due to financial difficulties.”