Between global dreams and national duties: the dilemma of conscription duty in the transnational lives of young Korean males

Abstract

In this study, I examine the dilemmas arising from the tension between citizen duties and youthful aspirations in a globalizing world. The state's requirement of military conscription structures the transnational lives of young Korean male migrants. More particularly, the timeline for serving the duty works as a primary temporal reference for the males' initial migration planning and future projections. Drawn from ethnographic fieldwork and in‐depth interviews among a community of young Koreans in New Jersey, USA, my research reveals that their life planning in accordance with this institutional schedule is vulnerable to unexpected changes. The consequences are potentially detrimental to their futures, which not only differ from their individual ideals but also contain a high risk of marginalization both in Korea and in the USA. Building on the transnational migration literature, which focuses predominantly on spatiality, individual rights/agency and the marginalization of women migrants, I am concerned with temporality, citizens' duties and the constraints of masculinity as important parts of unravelling the complexities of transnational life.

High‐Risk Transnationalism: Why Do Israeli‐Americans Volunteer in the Israeli Military?*

“…But in a broader sense, we can expect the politics of citizenship and migration to make military service a contested issue in more and more countries with mandatory military service (according to World Population Review, this includes 68 countries today). States, on the one hand, show an increasing tolerance to dual and multiple citizenships (Harpaz 2019), while coincidingly preserving a conscription system that creates tension and requires constant dialogue with diaspora communities over civic duties and belonging (Song 2015; Thomson 1990). The interplay between the two conflicting ideas—acceptance of multiple citizenships (and symbolic belongings) and compulsory military service (in many cases a primary indicator of national loyalty)—asks for further research on how states regulate diaspora behavior on the one hand (Bauböck 2003), and how diaspora people navigate between conflicting obligations, expectations, and available life‐paths on the other.…”

“…While in both countries military service is viewed as a rite of passage, South Korea does not exclude emigrants and dual citizens from military duty. Studies showed that young Korean Americans engage in military service to secure both their legal and cultural citizenship and maximize future opportunities as cultural and business intermediaries (Choi and Chung 2018; Song 2015). It is impossible to know, however, how Korean emigrants would act in relation to military service had it been voluntary.…”

“…To account for both the migratory context of the case and for the risk‐taking element in IDF service, the study brings together the literature on migration and nationalism, especially as it pertains to second‐generation immigrants (Levitt and Waters 2002), and the scholarship on high‐risk collective action (McAdam 1986). By doing so, the study investigates the largely uncharted territory of homeland military service among diaspora members, an underexplored subject in the era of mass migration and a highly relevant issue for immigrants from countries where military service is compulsory and normative such as Israel and South Korea (Cohen 2007; Song 2015). At the same time, the study offers an original contribution to inquiries of high‐risk participation in collective action as it focuses on two largely ignored populations: participants who lack the kind of ties and organizational context deemed necessary for mobilization, and non‐participants with similar participation‐potential as participants (Nepstad and Smith 1999; Viterna 2006).…”

Thinking Outside the Box: The National Context for Educational Preparation and Adaptation among Chinese and Korean International Students

“…In its governmental policies, public rhetoric, and educational programs, the Korean approach to international education has been more heavily centered on the neoliberal logic of global competitiveness. Since the 1990s, the Korean state has structurally and discursively promoted educational migration among young Koreans to advance the overall competitiveness of its citizens in the global economy (Song, 2015). Because the domestic economy depends heavily on export and foreign trade, employers generally prefer workers with US credentials, English proficiency, and global experience for managerial positions (Lee, 2008).…”

Analysis of Occupational Stress and Its Relationship with Secretory Immunoglobulin A in the Xinjiang Plateau Young Military Recruits

“…In 2009, China made a major adjustment to the conscription policy and recruited young people with higher education enrollment, which provided a new direction to solve the problems of employment [2]. Different from other countries (such as South Korea), China adopted the conscription system that combines conscription with volunteer military service [3]. The implementation of the new military service law has included the college students who were originally listed as deferred enlistment in the range of enlistment, which makes more and more college students and graduates to enlist as a new choice for employment problem.…”