By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter

Seven in 10 people are opposed to allowing alternative service for those who refuse to fulfill their mandatory military duties due to religions convictions, the Ministry of National Defense said Wednesday.

According to a survey of 2,000 adults, 68.1 percent, or 1,365 of respondents, objected to allowing conscientious objectors to perform alternative military service. Some 28.9 percent, or 580 of them, said they supported the idea.

The poll, conducted from Nov. 17-21, has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.19 percent. The Military Manpower Administration (MMA) commissioned the survey with a policy think tank of Daejeon University.

The outcome of the survey runs counter to the results of an October survey, MMA officials said. The previous survey of 554 people, including lawmakers, lawyers, professors, journalists and religious leaders, said 85.5 percent supported the idea.

Ministry spokesman Won Tae-jae said a final decision on whether or not to allow conscientious objection would be made in a careful manner based on the results of surveys, public hearings and debates.

Implementation Premature

``The ministry's position that allowing alternative services for conscientious objectors based on a national consensus remains unchanged,'' Won told reporters. ``At the moment, the ministry believes implementing the alternative system is premature.''

By region, people in Busan, South Gyeongsang Province and Chungcheong Province were the least receptive to the idea, with 70.1 percent of those surveyed opposed, the latest survey said.

By age, 87.8 percent of those in their 60s were against the idea, while 57 percent of those in their 30s said they were opposed. About 75 percent of those who graduated from high school also expressed negative opinions about alternative services for conscientious objectors.

By religion, 75.5 percent of Buddhists, 69.3 percent of Protestants, and 64.1 percent of Roman Catholics were against the move, according to the survey.

Forty-three percent of those opposing the conscientious objection cited the need to ensure fairness in the country's conscription system, in which all able-bodied men over 19 must serve in the military for two years, according to the opinion poll.

Other opponents were worried that allowing conscientious objection would undermine other solders' morale or have more young people use an alternative system to evade service, it said.

Social Minorities

Proponents, on the other hand, said an alternative system could ease criminal penalties on conscientious objectors and help protect the human rights of ``social minorities,'' according to the survey.

Hundreds of conscripts are jailed annually for their refusal to serve in the armed forces, according to the MMA. There were about 570 conscientious objectors last year.

The previous, center-left Roh Moo-hyun administration accepted a recommendation by the National Human Rights Commission in December 2005 to allow alternative service for objectors, such as working at public welfare facilities for a longer period of time than active service members.

The human rights watchdog recommended the government recognize the individual right to refuse compulsory military service because of religious beliefs.

The recommendation, not legally binding, contrasted with a Constitutional Court decision in August the same year which affirmed that the nation's Conscription Law was lawful. The top court said religious beliefs could not override national security.

Most members of the military also view alternative service for conscientious objectors as an ``undeserved privilege'' granted to those who refuse military service.

South Korea already allows those with health conditions to serve their time at administrative offices instead of active service following a four-week basic training program.

gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr