Indie filmmaker rejects mandatory military service

/ Courtesy of Song Ji-hye

By Lee Ji-hye

Filmmaker Kim Kyung-mook has never been shy about revealing who he is ― a trait seen in his 2004 debut film, “Me and Doll Playing,” in which he explores his identity as a gay man.

According to Kim, it is because of this conviction to stay true to himself that he is in jail at Seoul Southern Detention Center in Guro.

Kim is among the thousands of South Korean conscientious objectors who have chosen jail over participating in mandatory military service.

But for the 29-year-old filmmaker, the choice came down to whether he would be able to serve as an openly gay solider in a military system that has stigmatized sexual minorities.

"In a place where I have to hide my thoughts and my identity, I cannot exist as a homosexual, nor can I affirm (the system) at all," Kim said in an earlier interview.

Kim was jailed on Jan. 14. The detention center would not allow journalists to speak with him.

In Korea, all able-bodied men are required to serve in the military for at least 21 months, a measure to provide security against North Korean threats.

Gay rights activists say homophobia was reinforced by authoritarianism prior to the country's democratization in 1987, with military regimes disparaging homosexuality as a disruption to gender and family hierarchies as part of widespread efforts to squelch minority voices.

According to the Military Criminal Act, homosexuality is considered a crime for which one can face up to two years imprisonment. Activists say that soldiers who are “outed” can be bullied and, in the past, have been sent to psychiatric hospitals run by the military.

"As a homosexual, the military will be a place where I would be forced into a biological and mental death. If I were to speak up about my sexuality, I could be confronting violence on the bases," he claimed.

For Kim, keeping his sexuality a secret would likely have been difficult, as he has long been out of the closet. In 2004, he received the special Executive Committee Award at the Seoul Independent Film Festival for “Me and Doll Playing.”

Kim was this year named the Filmmaker of the Year by the Association of Korean Independent Film and Video, for his most recent piece, "Futureless Things," depicting the life of underpaid part-time workers at convenience stores.

"I've just started being an activist for conscientious objectors, but I'll accept this award as an encouraging message for my time to come behind bars," Kim said two days before leaving for prison.

The debate over conscientious objectors has often focused on religion because many of those who choose not to serve are Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Kim is attempting to voice the concerns of Korea’s gay community as well, for which military service has long been a concern.

"I feel that my pain is the same as the people that had to go through sexual assault on the military bases, the ones who had to stand there watching, not being able to say anything about it," he said, "I feel the fear of the conscripts that fled from their bases, or even the ones who had to take their own lives."

According to Kim, stigmatization against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people (LGBT) starts early in Korea, He said he dropped out of high school due to abuse from teachers and students.

"Even at school, I couldn't adjust to a place where I had to pretend to be somebody else, believe in other ideologies and hide who I am," Kim said. "The military culture is everywhere."

Kim explained that at age 19, he went through a physical capability test for male conscription and was categorized as being Level 7, meaning he was in need of reexamination and a possible “soldier in need of special attention" or a "problematic soldier."

On November 19 at Seobu District Court in western Seoul, Kim went on trial knowing there was not much that he could do.

"I know that my case won't be an exception for objecting conscription _ nor do I want it to be," he said in the trial. "I don't expect special treatment either."

Before going to jail, Kim wrote to his fans on his Facebook that he had gone through "crazy days of trials" and that it was time to say goodbye for now.