Patriotic Education of Military Personnel in the Republic of Korea as an Instrument for Ensuring State Security (1950–1980)

The present article is devoted to patriotic education in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Korea under the authoritarian regime (1950–1980s). An attempt is taken to outline the process of development of Troop information and education system, to identify the main instruments for its implementation, and to assess the changes that have occurred in the system. Since such spiritual and moral qualities as love for the country and devotion to military duty have a direct impact on the combat effectiveness of the armed forces, military personnel are a special social group for which the ideas of patriotism have an exceptional meaning. In the context of the confrontation between the DPRK and the Republic of Korea, the moral and patriotic education of military personnel has become one of the most pressing issues facing the South Korean leadership. To solve this problem, the ROK Armed Forces developed a system of information and psychological support for military personnel, which made it possible to introduce soldiers to the ideas of unconditional support and defense of the state. Its important components were anti-communism, nationalism, and collectivism. Significant improvement of the system occurred during the presidency of Park Chung Hee (1961–1979), when specialized educational institutions for training teachers were created, a unified program of information and psychological training was formulated, and military media were developed. The measures taken led to an increase in the moral and patriotic state of military personnel. In conditions of universal conscription, the army became an important instrument in the hands of the ROK leadership, which made it possible to contain the spread of leftist ideology. The government's unconditional support allowed the army to be used to suppress antigovernment protests. The present study is based on such primary sources as ROK Defense White Papers (the major document of the South Korea defense policy), other official documents, collection of speeches by President Park Chung Hee, US CIA documents, the ROK Armed Forces Troop information and education materials, ROK military press, as well as the works and memoirs of South Korean military personnel.

Republic of Korea, military policy, authoritarian regime, national security, ideology, patriotism