- Title: SOUTH KOREA: South Korean students take part in marine-style boot camp
- Date: 25th July 2012
- Summary: ANSAN, SOUTH KOREA (JULY 25, 2012) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF STUDENTS FALLING DOWN IN MUDDY WATER VARIOUS OF STUDENTS CRAWLING THROUGH MUDDY WATER VARIOUS OF STUDENTS ROLLING IN MUD VARIOUS OF STUDENTS LAYING ON GROUND (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) 15-YEAR-OLD KANG MIN-KOO SAYING: "My parents suggested for me to join the training. Since I go through intense physical activities here, it
- Embargoed: 9th August 2012 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Korea, Republic of
- Country: South Korea
- Topics: Quirky,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
- Reuters ID: LVAAKLT45NTC4RZ1PV0IF06QS63V
- Story Text: South Korean students on Wednesday (July 25) attended a boot camp run by retired marines which aims to teach discipline and get participants into better shape.
Instead of lazing around in the summer heat, more than 100 students, clad in military uniforms, underwent grueling marine-style training in Ansan, 40 kilometers (24.8 miles) southwest of Seoul.
The camp is designed to test their physical and mental endurance through five, eight hour days filled with strenuous activities.
Fifteen year-old Kang Min-koo said he expected the training to help him lose weight.
"My parents suggested for me to join the training. Since I go through intense physical activities here, it will help me to lose some weight. I would like to come back here even after I have a better body shape," he said on his fourth day of training.
Kim Soo-yeon, a 17-year-old student who suffered from health problems, said she would like to prove her full recovery to her parents by completing the harsh training.
"I used to be hospitalized often and sometimes couldn't eat for more than a month, surviving with an intravenous drip. But my health has gotten better since high-school, and I've started to be able to dream something. So I came here to show my parents that I can do anything I want to do now," she said.
Kim Tae-hoon, one of the camp's trainers, said the camp teaches students to be more considerate towards others.
"These days, most students have just a few siblings while living in a small sized family. Our camp helps them to improve social skills. They also learn how to be more thoughtful and how to lead others. So those students, who come to our camp, become thoughtful through group activities rather than being selfish," he said.
The camp has trained about 200,000 civilians since it opened in 1997. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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