In this photo by Lee Jin-man, new South Korean military officers salute during their commissioning ceremony in Gyeryong, south of Seoul, on Tuesday. More than 6,400 officers were commissioned and will be deployed in the army, navy, air force and marines as second lieutenants. South Korea has a military force of about 630,000 and requires all able-bodied men to serve about two years in the military in the face of threats from North Korea. Those newly commissioned are career officers, separate from the military personnel fulfilling their mandatory service. In her speech at the ceremony, South Korean President Park Geun-hye stressed the importance of the alliance between South Korea and the United States following the slashing attack last week on U.S. Ambassador Mark Lippert.
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Image of Asia: A salute from South Korean military officers
