Conscientious objectors

Time to consider introducing alternative service

For decades, the issue of conscientious objection has been a taboo in this country where constant military tension has been the norm along the heavily fortified border with North Korea. In 2007, the then Roh Moo-hyun administration announced a plan to introduce an alternative civilian service program, but the plan fizzled out with the onset of the conservative Lee Myung-bak administration.

In this vein, it’s quite surprising to hear that as many as 17,000 men have been jailed since the 1950-53 Korean War for refusing to take arms under their conscientious and religious beliefs. If those who were slapped fines or had their indictments suspended for refusing to perform military service on the grounds of freedom of conscience and religion are included, the figure would be much more.

According to Yonhap News Agency, 8,295 conscientious objectors served prison terms from 2001 through this year, compared with 4,058 between 1994 and 2000 and 3,148 between 1980 and 1993. In the 2001-2012 period, 691 objectors were imprisoned annually, an increase from 580 between 1994 and 2000 and 225 between 1980 and 1993. As of Oct. 31 this year, 743 objectors ― mostly Jehovah’s Witnesses ― are in prison for violating the conscription law.

In fact, South Korea is among a few countries in the world that criminalize conscientious objection and often faces international criticism that it is violating a human rights article that guarantees the freedom of conscience and religion. In April last year, the United Nations Human Rights Committee ruled that the prison sentences imposed on conscientious objectors “amount to an infringement of their freedom of conscience and a restriction on their ability to manifest their religion and belief’’ in response to a petition filed by 100 Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Also, we hear that domestic public opinion is changing. A survey conducted by the Military Manpower Administration in December 2008 showed that only 28.9 percent supported the introduction of an alternative service but the figure rose to 43.5 percent in a similar poll conducted in November last year.

It defies our understanding that hundreds of youngsters are jailed every year even now because of religious reasons. Of course, there is lingering concern that introducing an alternative service would jeopardize national security and undermine social cohesion. What’s most disturbing is that the alternative system may be misused as a vehicle to avoid compulsory military service, especially by the privileged.

Nonetheless, the time has come for our society to be more proactive on this issue. With only three weeks to go before the presidential election, candidates need to pay more attention to this matter.

South Korea can learn a lot from Taiwan, which allowed conscientious objectors to perform an alternative service from 2000. This helped Taiwan enhance its international image as a nation protecting the human rights of the minority very well.

Given people’s deep-seated antipathy toward conscientious objectors, the alternative system must be implemented strictly. In particular, their period of service should be much longer than that applied to active-duty soldiers. <The Korea Times>