"A total of 1,146 servicemen recently applied for 65 vacancies for the first recruitment for the ninth contingent of the Zaytun Unit, producing a record-high competition ratio of 17.6 : 1, a military spokesman said Tuesday.

Some 275 officers applied for 52 vacancies, creating a 5.3:1 competition ratio. Newly recruited soldiers and officers will be dispatched to Irbil, northern Iraq next month

For recruitment for the third contingent of the Dongmyeong Unit, which was dispatched to Tyre last month, 1,230 servicemen applied for 114 vacancies, creating a 10.8:1 competition ratio, and 637 officers applied for 91 vacancies, a competition ratio of 7:1. During recruitment for the second contingent, the competition ratios were 15.3:1 for servicemen and 7.7:1 for officers.

Among all service branches, army drivers, logistics specialists, and PX soldiers are the most popular jobs, with an average competition ratio at 50:1. During the first recruitment for the ninth contingent of the Zaytun Unit, as many as 103 servicemen applied for a single vacancy as a PX soldier.

For soldiers, overseas military service is popular partly because they are curious and feel challenged by serving in trouble spots which are hard for ordinary people to visit. For officers, the appeal is that they believe overseas postings will help their career.

But money is also a consideration. Servicemen and officers stationed overseas are paid allowances in addition to their monthly pay. Each serviceman receives an allowance of US$1,340 every month. Added to this is a certain amount depending on the degree of danger in the area where they are stationed. Thus a serviceman with the Zaytun Unit receives an average of W1.82 million (US$1=W1,018) a month.

The spokesman said soldiers who want to serve with overseas units must get their parents' consent in advance. During the early recruitment process for the Zaytun Unit, some soldiers were recruited but had to drop out because they failed to get their parents' consent, he added.

(englishnews@chosun.com )