Korea`s oldest naval jr. seaman honors late father`s will

“I wanted to honor my father’s wish for me in his will: serving in the Navy.”

Im Hak-muk, 29, a junior seaman, explained why he joined the Navy belatedly. He was recently assigned to a deck on the 1,500-ton Jeonnam of the Navy`s 2nd Fleet based in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. He enlisted in February this year and after finishing basic training, he volunteered to serve on a vessel to become the country`s oldest junior seaman.

His father, who died in 2003, was a senior manager at Doosan Heavy Industries and mostly worked in the Middle East, including Iran and the United Arab Emirates. Im was born in Tehran and was educated in the UAE until high school, even getting a passport from the Arab country.

Though Im could have been exempted from military duty in Korea, his father often brought him to Port Khalid in the UAE, where naval ships from around the world stay. Im said, “My father said naval power is national power after his long overseas experience. He stressed that I should join the Navy as a Korean man to safeguard Korean waters in a naval vessel.”

Im had planned to join the Navy after graduating from college in the U.K. but was delayed due to his father`s death from illness. He had to earn money for his sister’s tuition and his family’s living expenses. “My father told me till the end that I should serve in the military,” he said.

After graduating college, Im worked for a company in the U.K. but returned to Korea in 2007 and gave up his UAE citizenship. He joined the Korea Institute of Science and Technology and worked as an interpreter and translator at the institute’s international affairs department.

Im`s excellent English and Arabic language skills allowed him to guide guests at the Seoul G-20 Summit in 2010.

ysh1005@donga.com