KATUSAs are selected from a pool of qualified volunteers who are subject to mandatory military service for male Korean citizens.

The KATUSA program was developed during the Korean War as a temporary measure to cope with a shortage of personnel in the United States Army.

The KATUSA Soldier Program is a tangible representation of the enduring friendship and mutual support between the Republic of Korea and the United States.

Regardless of their affiliation with the U.S. Army or ROKA, individuals are strongly encouraged to contribute suggestions and recommendations to enhance the KATUSA Soldier Program.

According to Richard Weiz (2013), author of "An Enduring Partnership: South Korea and the United States", The North Korean threat continues to provide the fundamental basis for the ROK-U.S. security relationship...The most recent period of tensions flared up after the North's long-range rocket launch in December 2012 and underground nuclear test in February 2013" (Pg.

[2] Providing valuable information on the peninsula as well as translations, KATUSA soldiers carry out their MOS effectively, allowing for a future of more foreign cooperation with America.

South Korea has been a close friend and valued partner during difficult circumstances, even when personal relations between U.S. and ROK leaders were at a low ebb"[3][4] The KATUSA system was established in August 1950 during the Korean War.

Additionally, it discusses a 1954 study examining KATUSA soldiers' wartime experiences and their positive perceptions of American treatment and the United States overall.

A follow-up study in 1958 reaffirms these positive sentiments, reflecting high ratings from South Koreans serving in American units.

Moreover, the passage delves into the attitudes of both American and Korean soldiers toward integrated units, shedding light on preferences and satisfaction levels.

Lastly, it underscores the U.S. Army's ongoing recognition of the benefits of integrated units, emphasizing the reciprocal advantages of personal interactions between American and KATUSA soldiers during off-duty hours.

Typically, they were integrated into infantry units, with a small number assigned to each squad, primarily performing basic tasks such as riflemen.

Conscripts with qualifying test scores are selected on a random basis by the Korean government, with all eligible candidates having an equal chance of winning.

The number of candidates vying for an available opening is extremely high because many soldiers believe that the U.S. Army is less abusive and more professional in its training and treatment of soldiers compared with the ROK Army,[citation needed] and that junior enlisted personnel receive better treatment, have more educational opportunities (especially with regards to learning English), experience a higher standard of living, and have an overall better quality of life than their ROK counterparts.

A memorandum for assigning operational command of the ROK Army to General MacArthur by President Rhee, known as Pusan Letter, is considered the only justification for the KATUSA program in South Korea.

A holistic and random approach is used to quality candidates into different units, and this variety of exam results seems to affect significantly into which positions each applicant is placed.

Cold War brotherhood contested: KATUSAs, slicky boys, American G.I.s, and the Status of Forces Agreement in post-armistice South Korea, 1954–1966.