In this blog post, I’ll summarize what I learned, focusing on the academic efforts I put into Korean geography during high school, my activities in the military club, and examples of my contributions to the local community, as well as instances of consideration and cooperation.

Academic Experiences and Reflections

My favorite subject was Korean Geography. It was a time for me to understand the diverse topographical features of South Korea. Since this aligned with my career goal of becoming an officer, I believed it was important to grasp both the terrain and military requirements, so I studied the subject in depth.
In Korean Geography class, I learned how to analyze the climate, social environment, and economic activities of various regions across the country using statistics and graphs. Rather than treating geography as mere memorization, I made an effort to connect it to my field of interest—military studies—and doing so made the material much easier to organize and remember for the long term.
In particular, while studying mountainous terrain, I recognized that, given the characteristics of South Korea’s topography, the Army inevitably plays a crucial role. To truly understand the tactical advantages and disadvantages of mountainous terrain, I watched the movie ‘The Front Line’ and reflected on related real-world examples.
In addition to class, I utilized various media resources for my studies. By looking at a map of South Korea, I connected regional characteristics with the geographical environment, and by incorporating content related to my areas of interest, I found that Korean Geography became an interesting subject that wasn’t difficult at all.
For my regional geography research report, which was part of my performance assessment, I investigated and presented on Daegu, a city characterized by its basin topography. Since Daegu is generally characterized by a basin where hot air does not easily escape—as exemplified by the recently popular term “Daefrica”—I used this to explain its climatic characteristics. This approach enhanced my learning and led to improved test scores.

Major School Activities and Reflections

During high school, dreaming of becoming an officer, I gathered friends who shared similar career aspirations and founded the “ARMY Military Club.” Although the club’s identity was unclear at first, we established a clear direction by continuing to read and discuss military law and military studies, primarily with students aspiring to become non-commissioned officers or officers.
While the club was mainly composed of male students, female students hoping to join the military also participated, and we actively exchanged college admissions information and views on military studies from a gender-inclusive perspective. By sharing our experiences and information, we helped one another with practical preparation and career planning.
One of the most memorable activities was reading and discussing Machiavelli’s ‘The Prince’. Comparing it to idealistic theories of monarchy such as Thomas More’s ‘Utopia’, I was particularly impressed by Machiavelli’s emphasis on competence in real-world politics and his approach to understanding the social context of his time.
During the discussion, club members and I engaged in an in-depth exchange of views on human nature and the differences between Eastern and Western theories of monarchy. I acknowledged the duality of the Eastern perspective, which emphasizes virtue, and the Western perspective, which emphasizes political competence, and logically argued that Machiavelli proposed realistic solutions against the backdrop of a turbulent political situation.
Through these discussions, we were able to read various military studies texts together and cultivate an attitude of mutual respect for each other’s opinions. By learning to adopt a mature attitude of accepting differing opinions rather than unconditionally rejecting them, I developed my leadership and collaboration skills.

Writing About Examples of Consideration, Sharing, and Cooperation, and My Reflections

I noticed that the area where I live has a high proportion of elderly residents, yet the services available from welfare facilities are limited. While addressing this issue in my social studies class, I wrote a research report titled “Plans for Community Development” and conducted a field survey in the city to identify the facilities and services that seniors actually need.
The survey results showed that seniors wanted spaces where they could gather and socialize, as well as leisure activities. Based on this, I proposed measures to provide continuing education opportunities—such as the introduction of a credit bank system—to enhance the academic achievement and satisfaction of the elderly.
I believed that providing educational benefits to seniors who were unable to attend school would increase their personal fulfillment and satisfaction with the community. Through the process of identifying local issues and seeking solutions firsthand, my problem-solving skills and sense of pride in my hometown grew stronger.
Korean Geography, my favorite subject, was a course that allowed me to understand the diverse topographical features of South Korea.

Since I aspired to become an officer in the future, I believed it was crucial to understand the characteristics and development of South Korea’s topography. I studied diligently because I found it meaningful to more easily grasp the geographical factors that are indispensable to the history of warfare.
The Korean Geography course allowed me to understand various factors—such as the climate, social environment, and economic activities of regions across the country—through statistics and graphs. Rather than treating geography as mere memorization, I connected it to my field of interest, “military studies.” While studying mountainous terrain, I recognized that, given South Korea’s mountainous topography, the proportion of the Army in the armed forces is inevitably high. As I explored what kinds of warfare might utilize the characteristics of mountainous terrain, I watched the movie ‘The Front Line’ to identify the strengths and weaknesses of South Korea’s mountainous terrain.
By simultaneously exploring my interests in Korean geography and military history, the material became easier to organize and stick in my memory for a long time. By studying a map of South Korea, I identified regional characteristics in relation to their geographical environments. For my “Regional Geography Research Report”—a performance-based assessment—I researched and presented on Daegu, a city characterized by its basin topography.
Daegu is a classic example of a basin topography, where hot air does not easily escape; I introduced its hot climate by using the term “Daefrica” as an example. Approaching difficult material in this way to make it easier to understand improved my learning outcomes and led to excellent test scores.

Efforts and Preparation Related to Motivation for Application and Career Plans

My aspiration to become an officer provided consistent motivation for my academic work and all school activities. My in-depth study of Korean geography—linking topography to military history—served as a foundation for understanding military operations and strategy, and this learning helped me build the situational judgment skills and background knowledge necessary for an officer.
Organizing a military club and leading group discussions on related books served as practical training to develop leadership and organizational skills. By sharing college admissions information and exchanging views, I engaged in realistic preparation; my willingness to embrace diverse perspectives is directly linked to the communication and coordination skills required of an officer.
My experience of personally investigating local community issues and proposing solutions fostered my problem-solving skills and ability to take action. My proposals regarding senior welfare served as an opportunity to cultivate an interest in the public good, which aligns with the attitude of caring for and collaborating with the community as an officer.
In this way, my academic interests, club activities, and community proposal initiatives were all experiences that helped me clarify and prepare for my career goals. Moving forward, I intend to build upon these experiences to further develop both my practical skills and my sense of community.