8/29 How are military personnel recruited in Korea?

Korean men are required to serve two years in the military under a mandatory draft system.
* serve in the military: 군복무를 하다.
* mandatory draft system: 징병제, 의무 복무제
ex> The thief finished serving his five-year sentence and was released.

Only a small portion is exempt from this duty due to physical conditions.
* be exempt from: ~에서 제외되다, 면제되다.

Men can serve as ordinary soldiers in the army, navy, air force, or the marine corps.
* marine corps [kɔ́ːr] : 해병대  

They get discharged when they reach sergeant status.
* sergeant [^|sɑ:rdʒ -] : a member of one of the middle ranks in the army and the air force, below an officer,  병장
ex> The top actor in the country just got discharged from the military.

One can serve as a non-commissioned officer for four years.
* non-commissioned officer: 부사관(NCO)
ex> After serving the mandatory two years, one can register to become a non-commissioned officer.

If one wants to become a career officer, he or she must graduate from a military school.
* career officer: 직업 장교

Doctors can fulfill their military duties by serving as public health doctors for three years.
* public health doctor: 공중 보건 의사
ex> He fulfilled his military duty relatively late in his life.

If you're someone who passed the Korean bar exam, you can serve as a military lawyer for three years.
* Korean bar exam: 사법시험


@ Can you fill in for me this Friday?  이번 금요일에 내 자리 좀 대신해 줄래?

1. I'm happy that my brother finally got discharged from the military.
2. Is it difficult to become a non-commissioned officer?
3. I'm proud of you fullfilling your military duty.
4. He served as a translator due to his fluent English.