A new policy that allows taking academic credits during military service has been introduced to provide enlisted students with an option to continue their education while serving in the military. In November 2017, the Higher Education Act was amended, allowing university students serving in the military to take remote classes online. In March 2019, the credit approval system was introduced in 12 universities. Currently, 157 universities and colleges, including Seoul National University, are participating in the credit approval system.
According to a general survey conducted by the KAIST Undergraduate Association (UA), 67% of 1,011 students responded that there is a strong need for remote lectures during military service. One of the respondents, Gungyu Lee from the School of Electrical Engineering, supported the implementation of the system, saying that, “During the enlisted years, there is a lot of stress due to academic disconnection. Application of the system will allow many KAIST students, like me, to participate in academic activities and be released from the burden of catching up.” Taking into consideration students’ needs , the UA announced in March that the school has agreed to change school regulations so that those on leave of absence can also acquire credits through remote lectures. Specific details, such as when the credit recognition system will begin and how cooperation with the Ministry of National Defense will work, have yet to be announced. However, the request for Military-Sports AU approval was declined. According to the school administration, military service lacks educational values in increasing students’ understanding of physical education. It is expected that there will be more obstacles in the introduction of this system now that the UA has been replaced by an Emergency Response Committee (ERC) this semester. Youngjoo Kim, a student from the Department of Biological Sciences currently serving in the military, expressed disappointment in the school’s decision. “Military-Sports AU should be given to students who served in the military as soldiers go through regular fitness tests and thus maintain a high stamina. Also, the school should consider the fact that there are too many applicants for sports classes,” he said.
As the majority of sports courses are not open amid COVID-19, it is becoming more competitive to enroll in the limited number of online sports classes, which has been one of the reasons behind stronger requests for Military-Sports AU. In the 2020 Fall semester, every sports class had the available spots filled with an exceedingly high number of applicants. Fitness Promotion (HSS051) and Core Exercise (HSS052) each had a class limit of 90 students, with 419 and 582 students competing for the slots, respectively. Though the school is approving alternative methods to gain sports AU, such as sports club activities or acquisition of Physical Education Instruction permits, the enrollment in sports courses still remains overly competitive. The survey conducted by the UA shows that 87% of students support the Military-Sports AU substitution, which represents the necessity of the policy. The UA affirmed that it will continue discussing the issue with school authorities.