President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol (C) takes selfies with troops at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, on April 7, 2022, in this photo provided by his office.
SEOUL, April 11 (Korea Bizwire) — The transition team of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is embroiled in a controversy over unfair treatment after Yoon recently took selfies with members of the Korean Augmentation to the U.S. Army (KATUSA).
The President-elect took selfies with troops on Thursday at Camp Humphreys, a sprawling U.S. base in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul.
The KATUSA members used their own smartphones to freely take pictures with Yoon, which is allowed as they work at U.S. military installations.
In contrast, South Korean military service members are only allowed to use their mobile phones from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays, and from 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends.
The recent ‘selfie’ incident has sparked a series of controversies in online communities with numerous posts complaining about the discriminatory treatment between KATUSA soldiers and other Korean military service members, particularly on the use of cell phones.
“The president-elect has vowed to extend the hours of smartphone use for Korean military personnel,” an official at the transition team said.
“The transition team is closely examining policies to make it a reality.”
Yoon vowed to extend the hours of smartphone use for Korean military personnel last year as part of his intent to foster a military environment that aligns with the current era.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
