South Korean Conscripts to Face Tougher Odds of Being Selected for a KATUSA Slot

Competition to get a coveted KATUSA slot is about to get more fierce as the ROK Army is set to greatly reduce the number of KATUSA soldiers:

The Republic of Korea (ROK) Army will drastically reduce the number of soldiers selected for the Korean Augmentation to the United States Army (KATUSA) starting next year, as fewer are needed due to the relocation of U.S. bases to the newly expanded U.S. Army Garrison (USAG) Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, according to ROK Army sources, Wednesday.

This is the first time for the Army to curtail its KATUSA selection.

Each year, the ROK Army selects around 2,000 troops to become KATUSAs, but that number will be slashed to 1,600 next year and continue to be reduced through 2022.

“The reduction in KATUSA selection is part of the nation’s ongoing defense reforms, and also in line with the decreasing number of conscripts and the realignment of personnel at the Eighth United States Army. The number will be reduced further in phases in the coming years,” a ROK Army official told The Korea Times.

There are currently about 3,500 KATUSAs, including commissioned and non-commissioned officers, but the ROK Army plans to reduce this by up to 900 by 2022, a decrease of over 25 percent. 

In late 2018, 2,026 KATUSAs were selected among 14,251 applicants to be conscripted this year, a competition rate of 6.9 to 1.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but instead of a 7 to 1 chance of getting a KATUSA slot, now applicants will face 10 to 1 odds.