Character Education in Korean Military
Authors:   Korea Association for Public Value, Jin Man Kim Jin Man Kim , John Gyun Yeol Park John Gyun Yeol Park 
Published: June 2024

Purpose: This article is intended as a suggestion for the direction that the military character education system should pursue, which is suitable for changing the values of the young generation to the essential values of the military while respecting democratic values. The existing understanding and approaches to the military character education, which has been limited to solving the problems related to interpersonal relationships and military service adaptation within the group he or she belongs, must now be converted into a consistent system that meets the original purpose of military. The new military culture must respect the individuality of its members while integrating individual capabilities into the goals of the military organization. The changes of military culture should begin with changes in the aim and the methods of character education implemented in the military.
Method: In that the concept of a soldier's character itself implies intersubjective universality, we would like to examine this article through Weber's ideal type (Idealtypus), which is a social scientific research methodology concepts, a standard concept established based on intrinsic values and universal standards to recognize the diverse and fluid social and cultural phenomena. Taking some into account the Weber’s assertion, the objective validity of all empirical knowledge is based solely on the fact that a given reality is in a certain sense ordered by subjective categories, this study will be conducted by a qualitative approach with literature analysis and materials review. Ideals are subjectivity, but the causality of those Ideals can be objective. Objectivity is the “intersubjective universality,” which refers to whether one's logical process can be valid or not. Objectivity can only be achieved when a value-neutral attitude is maintained, which Weber calls “value freedom (Werfreiheit).”
Results: Despite the fact that the mental attitude based on an individual' value system and the externally manifested behavior are not independent of each other, there has been little interest in the relationship between the character of an individual soldier and his will to fight, to the extent that character and mental power are treated separately in military character education. In order to build a soldier's character with mental combat capabilities, the reason and purpose of the military's existence, or the functional characteristics and attributes of the military, must be reflected in military character education. The fact that, while the behavior pursued by a military organization should be purpose-rational, the desirable behavior required of individual soldiers who are members of the military organization is value-rational behavior must be taken into consideration when constructing a character education system.
Conclusion: If the purpose of military character education is presented in line with the legitimate and essential values for which the military must exist, military character education will directly and indirectly contribute to improving military efficiency. For a soldier, his or her character is not simply a way of necessary for the adaptation in his or her barracks life and a kind of good interpersonal relationships in it, but also a moral competency that is demonstrated in the battle or the war he or she may carry out. As Weber defined society as a means/end rationality, military organizations also perform their unique functions and use the most efficient and rational means to achieve their specific end. Just as the means/end rationality destroys old traditions, military character education consistent with military identity can most effectively change military organizations.