Seoul Korea

[Bornforcutting]

What do you guys think of Been stationed at Yongsan, seoul Korea? I will be there 3 yrs. I was then planning on going to Germany after Korea. Any down side to been stationed overseas for a long period if you plan to stay in the military? I know I cant moonlight or even own a house and want to get an idea what people think did while on oversea tour?

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[thisismyname17]

I actually just got back home from Yongsan a few weeks ago. I was there as a non medical military officer.

I loved it. You are right in the middle of Seoul, literally in the middle. There are skyscrapers surrounding the base. Korean women are gorgeous. The food is delicious. Night life is so much fun. You can take weekend trips (if you have time) to Japan or China.

If you are going to be there for 3 years, its really all what you make of it. If you are adventurous and love to have a good time, you are going to fit right in. If you are the type that complains and get uncomfortable with unfamiliar situations... well then not so much.

I think Yongsan is the best place to be in all of South Korea.

Best of luck

 

[GMO2003]

What do you guys think of Been stationed at Yongsan, seoul Korea? I will be there 3 yrs. I was then planning on going to Germany after Korea. Any down side to been stationed overseas for a long period if you plan to stay in the military? I know I cant moonlight or even own a house and want to get an idea what people think did while on oversea tour?

I was there as a GMO several years ago. I am assuming by your username that you are a surgeon. If so, life as a staff medical corps officer overseas can be a mixed bag of sorts.

As the previous poster stated, Yongsan is in the heart of Seoul, which is the capital of South Korea. It is very modern and has all the creature comforts of western civilization and then some. However, you will need to acclimate yourself to some of the social differences. I'll let you figure that one out for yourself

As for your professional career, you will be subject to lower volume and acuity of your surgical case load. The more complicated and acute cases will most likely be sent to South Korean hospitals that have established a SOFA (Status of Forces Aggreement) such as Severence or Samsung. You may also be subject to clip board commandos (non physicians) who will make your life at times difficult and frustrating.

You will most likely have a fair amount of free time. The KTX (high speed bullet train) has made it possible to travel from the northern end of the Peninsula (Seoul) to the southern tip (Pusan) in a matter of 3.5 hours. Therefore, weekend getaways to the beaches of Haendae a breeze. Don't forget to do a tour of the DMZ. There is always the Dragon Hill Lodge (comparabe IMHO to a 3-4 star western style hotel) available for you, your family and guests that come to visit.

In summary, I think you'll have a great time at the minor expense of some mild atrophy of your surgical skills. I do not believe it is possible, nor will your commander allow you to moonlight to supplement and keep your skills up.

GOOD LUCK!

 

[BOHICA-FIGMO]

What do you guys think of Been stationed at Yongsan, seoul Korea? I will be there 3 yrs. I was then planning on going to Germany after Korea. Any down side to been stationed overseas for a long period if you plan to stay in the military? I know I cant moonlight or even own a house and want to get an idea what people think did while on oversea tour?

I have no idea what your job involves, but I was stationed at Osan AB in the early 2000's and made plenty of trips to Seoul. Aside from Korea being a really fun country, you can get to anywhere in the Pacific rim (Thailand, China, Australia, Micronesia, Palau, etc.) VERY easily from there. Enjoy!

 

[NateintheED]

I'm at Yongsan right now, and agree with pretty much everything posted above. A Korea tour is really what you make of it. There's plenty to do in Seoul, and you should definitely take the opportunity to travel Asia.

Professionally, if you are a general surgeon, you will have some skill atrophy after 3 years here. Our population is generally pretty young, so I see our surgeons doing mostly the "bread and butter" stuff - appy's, gallbladders, hernias, etc. They do do the occasional gastric bypass. From what I've seen, our ortho folks do get a bit more variety in their procedures. Pretty much the only thing they won't do in that regard are total/hemi-arthroplasties.

And as a jumping-off point for Germany, its a pretty good deal, depending on your consultant. I'm on a 1-year tour in Korea, AND headed to Germany this summer. Unless Germany has already been promised to you after Korea, though, don't plan on anything definite, especially 3 years out. Remember, we're all subject to the "needs of the Army".

 

[HackFuJones]

kinda off topic but I keep hearing rumors that u if u go to Korea u are way less likely to get deployed.... any truth?

 

[GMO2003]

kinda off topic but I keep hearing rumors that u if u go to Korea u are way less likely to get deployed.... any truth?

traditionally yes...however, a BCT from the 2nd ID deployed to afghanistan in 2005 only to be redeployed to Fort Carson a year or so later

 

[dudefop]

Hi,
I'm PGY-2 Medical Resident at a civillian hospital in Boston.
Planning to get into us army(active duty) after residency as an internist.
I'm originally from South Korea so I really wish to go to Yongsan base in Seoul.

Q1. If I apply for Yongsan, Seoul as my base, what are my chances actually being accepted to go to Yongsan base? The recruiter told me 90%, is this true?

Q2. How long will they allow me to stay in South Korea? In other words, if I request staying in Korea for 10 yrs, will that happen in general?

Q3. Can I get out of the base after I finish my day? Can I sleep outside of the camp (My parents house) and come back in the morning?

Q4. I wish to do another residency (Pathology or Radiology) in the military.
Is it also competitive to get into radiology program in military hospitals?

Thank you so much for your help in advance..

 

[haujun]

Hi,
I'm PGY-2 Medical Resident at a civillian hospital in Boston.
Planning to get into us army(active duty) after residency as an internist.
I'm originally from South Korea so I really wish to go to Yongsan base in Seoul.

Q1. If I apply for Yongsan, Seoul as my base, what are my chances actually being accepted to go to Yongsan base? The recruiter told me 90%, is this true? No. Operational medicine slots need to be filled first. No one asks for deployment, but soldiers deploy.

Q2. How long will they allow me to stay in South Korea? In other words, if I request staying in Korea for 10 yrs, will that happen in general? No. If you are single soldier you will come in for one year tour and may apply for extension. If you never been deployed there are restrictions

Q3. Can I get out of the base after I finish my day? Can I sleep outside of the camp (My parents house) and come back in the morning? Yes

Q4. I wish to do another residency (Pathology or Radiology) in the military.
Is it also competitive to get into radiology program in military hospitals? Yes

Thank you so much for your help in advance..

.....end

 

[NateintheED]

Hi,
I'm PGY-2 Medical Resident at a civillian hospital in Boston.
Planning to get into us army(active duty) after residency as an internist.
I'm originally from South Korea so I really wish to go to Yongsan base in Seoul.

Q1. If I apply for Yongsan, Seoul as my base, what are my chances actually being accepted to go to Yongsan base? The recruiter told me 90%, is this true?

Q2. How long will they allow me to stay in South Korea? In other words, if I request staying in Korea for 10 yrs, will that happen in general?

Q3. Can I get out of the base after I finish my day? Can I sleep outside of the camp (My parents house) and come back in the morning?

Q4. I wish to do another residency (Pathology or Radiology) in the military.
Is it also competitive to get into radiology program in military hospitals?

Thank you so much for your help in advance..

Just finished in Yongsan so...

A1: Depends. What specialty, how many slots, who's leaving that year. Korea is moving toward multi-year tours. Do not believe a recruiter who gives you hard numbers, especially ones that high. Example: When I was in Korea, 3 of the 4 military docs in my department (including me) were on 1-year tours. The other was initially on a 2-year tour, but extended an extra year to finish his commitment. None of our replacements this year are. So there will be NO openings in Summer, 2011.

A2: I haven't seen anyone stay more than about 5-6 years. You most definitely CANNOT request 10 years up front. And you shouldn't, if you want to be promoted beyond MAJ.

A3: Yongsan is in the middle of Seoul. You are not a prisoner on-post. There is not enough housing on-post for everyone. If you are married/accompanied, there is >50% chance you will live off-post. If you are single, that chance is 100%, and the Army will give you Overseas Housing Allowance (OHA) instead of BAH (which is what you get in the states) to cover the rent. There used to be a curfew during which you had to be on-post or in your quarters if you lived off-post, but that was removed this past summer.

A4: Don't know, but probably, yes. The bigger hurdle will be getting a second residency at all. If you come in as a usable internist, the Army is going to be very reluctant to let you take a step "backwards" into a training status.

 

[JasonGom]

Hi I hope someone can answer my question here. I was wondering how likely it would be for an attending physician (im guessing thats when you get stationed) to request korea (anywhere) and be able to station there. I would also like to be stationed in korea or japan and I heard that it's very hard to be chosen to go to korea or japan.

 

[GreatAdviceForPass]

Hi I hope someone can answer my question here. I was wondering how likely it would be for an attending physician (im guessing thats when you get stationed) to request korea (anywhere) and be able to station there. I would also like to be stationed in korea or japan and I heard that it's very hard to be chosen to go to korea or japan.

Don't request or volunteer for anything. This is what someone from HRC told my friends who are in the army. This one girl I know, her fiance got stationed at Fort Lewis, so she requested it. Guess what? They sent her to Camp Casey Korea, and she was very unhappy. By the way, Camp Casey or Red Cloud or something like that SUCKS real bad. I have been to Yongsan and it was pretty nice though.
Anyways, If you request for something, especially your first few duty stations, more often than not, they will give you something opposite, in order to see how committed you are to the service. If you don't believe me ask some folks that used to work at HRC.

 

[backrow]

Don't request or volunteer for anything. This is what someone from HRC told my friends who are in the army. This one girl I know, her fiance got stationed at Fort Lewis, so she requested it. Guess what? They sent her to Camp Casey Korea, and she was very unhappy. By the way, Camp Casey or Red Cloud or something like that SUCKS real bad. I have been to Yongsan and it was pretty nice though.
Anyways, If you request for something, especially your first few duty stations, more often than not, they will give you something opposite, in order to see how committed you are to the service. If you don't believe me ask some folks that used to work at HRC.

Stories like this always have "another side."

The reality is that you can request whatever you want, but the needs of the Service come first. If those two things happen to align, then perfect! If those two things don't align then the Service is going to win 100% of the time.

Where you go as a physician is heavily dependent on where your specialty needs you and what the manning levels are. One also has to take into consideration the operational requirements that get passed around.

The military also tends to play be a "pay your dues system." The more junior you are the less likely you are to have "paid any dues" so you are much more likely to get the shafts from your perspective.

In the medical world I have never personally seen a personnel issue that a friend was complaining about not have some other factor that they were trying to minimize. For example "well why can't so and so take that job, we're the same in years of service, etc" but then they forget to mention that the other person has EFMP issues, or colocation, etc. I'm sure there are some stories out there that don't make sense, but there isn't some systemic conspiracy to keep people from what they want.