Korean SEAL VS US SEAL Training: Which One Is Harder?

About this video

A former Korean Navy SEAL who went through both Korean and US SEAL training compares the two programs. He describes Korean training as more like “prison” while US BUD/S felt more like a “tough physical job,” with colder water in Korea but more freedoms in the US system. He recounts his deployments conducting anti-piracy operations off Somalia and later work as a security contractor in Iraq and UN security officer, including a high-profile 2011 Korean SEAL hostage rescue mission that saved 21 hostages.

Key takeaways

• The guest argues that Korean SEAL training is harsher in some ways, with colder water and less freedom (students rarely leave base), while US BUD/S offered more personal time and better food facilities
• The guest recounts successful anti-piracy boarding operations off Somalia where his team captured pirates without firing shots, and describes a separate 2011 mission by other Korean SEALs that rescued all 21 hostages and killed 8 of 13 pirates
• The guest describes Korean SEALs as well-equipped with special funding from the National Intelligence Service allowing them to use American-made gear (Crye uniforms, Opscore helmets, HK416 rifles, quad-tube night vision) that regular Korean military cannot access
• After leaving the Korean military due to resistance to changes he suggested, the guest worked as a security contractor in Iraq during the ISIS conflict and later as a UN security officer protecting human rights workers, sometimes paying bribes to local police for security

Episode details: published November 12, 2025 · 18.5K views · 25:09 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Stories told by Mike Ritland’s podcast guests are the guests’ own accounts, attributed to them — not independently verified. Commentary is Ritland’s, presented as his analysis.

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