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Panelists at a hearing on alternative military service 4 at MND Convention in Seoul on Oct. 4. (Yonhap News)
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Discussion regarding period of alternative service still rife with controversy
The Ministry of National Defense (MND), which is currently developing alternative service plans for conscientious objectors to military service, announced on Oct. 4 that it will be adopting alternative service routes in correctional facilities and fire stations. Attending a hearing on the alternative service system that day at MND Convention in Seoul’s Yongsan neighborhood, the ministry’s personnel policy division chief Kim Seo-yeong reported findings from discussions by a practical development team with representatives from concerned agencies including the Ministries of National Defense and Justice and the Military Manpower Administration. “In terms of service areas for alternative service, we are currently considering the adoption of corrections alone as our first plan, and both corrections and firefighting as a second plan,” she said. “Studies have shown that around 5,000 people could be used in correctional facilities, while firefighting duties would require a little over 1,200. Both institutions welcome the introduction of alternative service personnel,” Kim added. At the same time, Kim noted difficulties in assigning individuals performing alternative service to fire stations where conscripted firefighters are currently working. The areas of public health and welfare, including nursing duties for patients, were ruled out due to objections citing concerns about religious proselytizing and administrative issues regarding unqualified personnel, she said. MND to finalize alternative service plan by end of October The subject of the service period will reported require further discussions, with disagreements over whether the duration should be 1.5 times (27 months) or twice as long (36 months) as the service period for the Army. “If we were to follow established international standards, an alternative service period longer than 1.5 times the active duty period would be a human rights violation of a punitive nature,” said attorney Im Jae-seong at the hearing. While Im argued that the alternative service period should be set at 1.5 times the active service period or lower, Sangmyung University professor Choi Byeong-wook called for a period of “twice the active duty service period or longer” in order to prevent abuses as a means of evading military service and promote equity with active duty soldiers. After finalizing the administration’s alternative service plan by the end of October, the Ministry of National Defense plans to go through National Assembly legislation procedures by the first half of 2019 and introduce the new system as of Jan. 2020. By Park Byong-su, senior staff writer Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]
