A U.S. daily says Koreans accounted for the largest part of a group of foreign recruits taking part in a U.S. pilot program that grants U.S. citizenship to foreigners with medical and language skills in exchange for enlisting in the U.S. Army.

The Los Angeles Times said the Army has enlisted 112 Korean speakers, accounting for 29 percent of the total 385 foreigners who have been recruited for their language capabilities.

Since the pilot program began in New York and expanded to Los Angeles in May, the foreign recruits have included 34 healthcare professionals and 385 speakers of languages such as Hindi, Chinese, Urdu and Swahili.

Under the pilot program, foreigners who have lived legally in the U.S. for at least two years without a green card, but who have specific language or medical skills, get an expedited path to citizenship.

The U.S. Army is carrying out the pilot program as military branches, despite meeting or exceeding their recruitment goals, have struggled to find individuals with critical skills needed in Iraq, Afghanistan and beyond.