Army sergeant recognized for extra commitment to flood victims

Army Sgt. Kim Tae-young / Courtesy of ROK Army

By Kang Seung-woo

Army Sgt. Kim Tae-young has earned his stripes by postponing his final military leave to help those who are reeling from the aftermath of torrential rains.

According to the Army, Wednesday, Kim, who belongs to the Okcheon Battalion of the Army 37th Infantry Division, was supposed to go on leave on Aug. 13 for 11 days, but when villages in Okcheon County, North Chungcheong Province, where his battalion is based, were hit hard by weeks of heavy rains, he voluntarily put it off. He is scheduled for discharge from the Army, Sept. 3.

Kim, 24, joined the battalion's emergency rescue operation, in which he removed earth and sand and helped victims salvage household goods there. Houses, roads and farmlands in Okcheon were flooded due to water discharged from Yongdam Dam. The heavy rain-triggered floods in the county have caused property damage estimated at 19.2 billion won ($16.2 million).

It was not the first time that Kim participated in military assistance to those who were affected by natural disasters. Last September, Kim helped farmers who suffered losses from typhoons Tapa and Lingling.

“This year's damage seems to be much more serious than last year's,” Kim said. “As I could not disregard people's suffering, I decided to delay my leave without hesitation. I hope every service member's recovery work will help victims' lives return to normal.”

It is not the first time that Kim gained public recognition. While attending the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor, he had an opportunity to take permanent residency in the United States, which would have exempted him from Korea's mandatory military service for all able-bodied male citizens.