Gov't to stop using the term 'conscientious objectors'

The government has officially jettisoned the term "conscientious objectors." Korea Times file

By Jung Min-ho

The South Korean government will stop using the term “conscientious objectors” when referring to people who refuse to serve in the military and will replace the term with “religious objectors.”

The Defense Ministry announced Friday that it would no longer use “conscientious objectors” for official documents, saying “religious objectors” would be more accurate.

The move comes after tens of thousands of people found the term misleading and complained to the ministry.

“We decided to replace the term to address the concerns that those who have served their duties can be misconstrued as not conscientious (because of its semantic implication),” said ministry spokeswoman Choi Hyun-soo.

In its ruling on Nov. 1, the Supreme Court for the first time accepted “religious beliefs” as a justifiable reason to refuse compulsory military duty while overturning a lower-court ruling in which a Jehovah's Witness was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

The decision forced the ministry to come up with alternative services for people who do not want to serve in the military and an official term to refer to them.

But against the ministry's wishes, its decision has stirred up fresh controversies from activists, who believe “conscientious objectors” is a more appropriate term.

“Although Jehovah's Witnesses account for most of the objectors, some non-religious people also refuse to serve in the military based on their consciences. Since 2000, there have been 80 such people,” the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy said in a statement.

“To protect their beliefs, they chose to go to prison instead … The government should not overlook them.”

Since the Korean War (1950-53), South Korea has required all able-bodied men to serve in the armed forces under a conscription system that the country sees as crucial to its defense against North Korea.

Until today, South Korea has prosecuted more young men for refusing to serve what is billed as a “patriotic duty” than any other country. Jehovah's Witnesses say more than 19,000 of its members have gone to prison for the offense.