Yi Whan-woo is a Korea Times journalist primarily covering finance. He writes in-depth articles on macroeconomy and financial markets and previously covered sports, politics, diplomacy and inter-Korean affairs, among others. Feel free to contact him at yistory@koreatimes.co.kr.
Conscientious objectors to perform alternative duties in jails
Activists protest the Ministry of National Defense after it released a draft guideline aimed at having conscientious objectors serve alternative duty at correctional facilities for three years. Yonhap
By Yi Whan-woo
By Yi Whan-woo
Able-bodied men who refuse to serve in the military for religious reasons will be subject to three years of alternative duty at correctional facilities, the Ministry of Defense said Friday.
In its draft guideline for revision of the conscription law, the ministry also said alternative duty will become possible in January 2020.
The move comes after the Supreme Court's ruling in June that religious faith is a valid reason to refuse military service and the law should be amended accordingly.
The decision triggered a dispute over where, and for how long, the conscientious objectors should serve their alternative duty, so other conscripts, many of them serving the country under harsh conditions, do not feel left out emotionally.
Rejecting military service because of religious faith was illegal in Korea and conscientious objectors were sentenced to 18 months in jail on average.
“The defense ministry has tried to craft a reasonable alternative form of service that harmonizes military service obligation and freedom of conscience," said Lee Nam-woo, chief of the ministry's personnel welfare office.
Lee said the ministry's decision was based on a set of principles: maintaining fairness regarding active-duty service members, preventing any exploitation of alternative service to avoid military conscription and respecting international norms in a way that does not compromise security readiness.
“We've come up with correctional facilities, because in terms of conditions, they are most similar to the military,” the ministry said.
The conscientious objectors will serve meals, supply equipment and carry out other “demanding labor.”
The ministry said it came up with three years for the conscientious objectors after considering the length of service for the Army, Navy and Air Force.
All able-bodied men in South Korea are obliged to serve in the Army for 21 months, the Navy for 23 months or the Air Force for 24 months.
The Moon Jae-in administration wants to reduce the term to 18 months for the Army, 20 months for the Navy and 22 months for the Air Force by 2022.
Protesters against conscientious objection said alternative duty should be at least double the length of the Army service.
The military will maintain the number of applicants for alternative duty at 600 a year, while making an exception in 2020 for 12,000.