hankyoreh

On Sept. 18, the Defense Ministry decided to allow "conscientious objectors" to do substitute services in a turnaround from its previous stance four months ago, which was that it was not the right time to introduce such a system.

All Korean men must serve for just over two years in the military, a legacy left over from the 1950-53 Korean War which divided the peninsula and ended in a cease-fire rather than a peace treaty.

A push from the presidential office seems to be behind the abrupt about-face, observers say.

Experts speculate that the current administration might be considering the public mood as becoming more tolerant toward conscientious objectors and also trying to protect the human rights of this 'minority group' within society. They added that President Roh Moo-hyun might have opted for the move as a means to leave some kind of legacy before his tenure ends. As the government is overhauling nation's obligatory military service system by reducing the mandatory service term and introducing a social service scheme, it might have been facing pressure to touch on the conscientious objection issue as around 750 younger people got thrown into prison every year due to religious conviction. A government official said, "Our policy direction was decided in July's Cabinet meeting."

Kwon Doo-kwan, a high-ranking ministry official, said, “As we decided on the introduction of the social service system, the public mood has been getting more and more favorable for the allowance of substitute services for conscientious objectors.” According to a government survey, those who support the move stood at 23.3 percent in 2005 but the figure jumped to 39.9 percent last year. Right after the announcement on July 10 to introduce the social service system, the support rate surged to 50.2 percent. “I went myself to leprosy [Hansen's disease] treatment facilities on Sorok Island and saw with my own eyes how they are taking care of the people. I realized that they must have not chosen their path in life without conviction,” Kwon said.

Under the government plan, conscientious objectors would be assigned to do the most intensive jobs at social service workplaces. The Sorok Island Hansen's disease facilities, a tuberculosis hospital in South Gyeongsang Province, and around 200 special medical centers are among the candidate workplaces. Currently, there are 19,500 patients are being treated [at these hospitals], and the government is planning to assign a total of 750 such conscientious objectors to care for patients around the clock. Their service term will likely be 36 months, twice as long as those fulfilling their ordinary military service term.

Unlike ordinary social service providers, conscientious objectors will not have to do the one week of basic military training. And after their service term ends, they will also have to do social service during the same time others spend doing reserve force training.

In addition, conscientious objectors will need to be thoroughly screened to be eligible for the substitute services. Their character and any criminal record will also be under consideration regarding whether they can enter the program.