‘Military Service Can Benefit Women’

By Kim Jeong-ha

Global Student Reporter

JERUSALEM _ Alternative military service will be repealed by 2012 and those exempted from the compulsory service will perform other social services, according to a new system on the draft in the Korean military.

It is assumed that female participation in the military may increase due to the adoption of this system. Regarding female participation in the military, Elihu Ben-Onn, a former brigadier general of the Israel Defense Force (IDF), supported more active participation by women in national military service in an interview with The Korea Times.

``You can use what you learnt from the army service in your profession. And the people who you are working with, especially if you have been selected as special forces, are the best in the country. Therefore, I believe that women can benefit from the military by excelling in their given mission and tasks, working their way up the ladder, just like men,’’ Ben-Onn said.

Israel is one of the most heavily militarized nations in the world, renowned for its compulsory draft imposed on female citizens. The former general explained Israel’s military draft system. ``Apart from a general exemption due to physical, mental and social disabilities, we also provide exemptions to those who are married, pregnant, or already have babies.’’

``For those who chose not to serve in the military for religious reasons, they only need to sign a form. As you can see, we provide all means to respect their belief and religion,’’ he said.

However, there are some people who manipulate the system to evade the draft. These people are called ``small-headed,’’ in Israel, only looking after themselves and no one else, he said.

Ben-Onn, who is working as a radio talk show host, stressed that experience in the military is helpful when working in other fields.

blades@empal.com