SEOUL, May 31 (Korea Bizwire) — The military is considering allowing new recruits participating in a five-week boot camp to smoke.
While the Army boot camp guidelines strongly recommend that recruits refrain from smoking, they also allow commanders to designate a time and place for smoking if needed.
A majority of Army boot camps including the Korea Army Training Center in the central city of Nonsan have been prohibiting smoking since 1995, but a few have been allowing smoking.
Some critics claim that the Korea Army Training Center, which is one of South Korea’s largest military training facilities, should not allow smoking, arguing that withholding the desire to smoke is also ‘part of the training’.
The Navy Education and Training Command, the Marine Corps Education and Training Group, and the Air Force Basic Military Training Wing all ban trainees from smoking.
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