Military officers asked to postpone study abroad amid economic woes

By Sam Kim
SEOUL, Jan. 22 (Yonhap) -- Nearly one fifth of 110 South Korean military officers
set to join a government-funded study-abroad program this year have been asked to
delay their plan amid an economic downswing, the defense ministry said Thursday.
The Ministry of National Defense picked 110 Army, Navy and Air Force officers
last year to send them on a program aimed at obtaining master's and doctor's
degrees at overseas universities.
Lee Bung-woo, a ministry spokesman, said 20 of them have been asked whether they
can delay their study by one year, citing a steep decline in the value of the
South Korean currency and the need to replenish field units with commissioned
officers.
"We've mainly asked first lieutenants because of budget difficulties related to
the rising foreign exchange rate and the need to strengthen the commanding
structure of field bases," Lee said.
South Korea is among the countries hit hardest by the global economic downswing,
in which its currency, the won, has plummeted against the U.S. dollar. Reports
say large numbers of South Korean students studying abroad have been forced to
return, while President Lee Myung-bak has called for a government-wide effort to
cut down costs.
Earlier this month, the defense ministry said it has retracted operational
cellular phones from thousands of its officers because of a lack of budget, and
Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee has openly ordered cost-saving measures.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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