http://www.heartlandconnection.com/news/story.aspx?id=995517#.UzSAxKjD_PQ
South Korea jails hundreds for refusing military stints
Posted: 01.17.2014 at 7:58 AM
EUN-YOUNG JEONG, Associated Press
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- The young dentist was uncuffed and led to his
seat in the courtroom. A few rows back, his mother watched motionlessly,
her hands gently clasped together as if in prayer.
Jeon Seong-Jin is being punished for a crime that is not a crime at all in
most of the world. A Jehovah's Witness, he has refused to become a soldier
in South Korea, where all able-bodied male citizens are required to serve
about 21 months in the army.
More than 660 conscientious objectors have been jailed each year in South
Korea, on average, from 2004 to 2012, far more than any other country.
Eritrea is second, but imprisoned only about 50 conscientious objectors
last year, according to the official website of Jehovah's Witnesses.
Members of the religion refuse military service because they believe the
Bible forbids warfare.
Even where conscription still exists, governments often allow conscientious
objectors to serve their countries without bearing arms, but not in South
Korea. Jeon began his 18-month sentence in 2012 and expects to be released
this March.
Even behind bars, Jeon continues a legal battle. He appeared in court last
month as part of his lawsuit demanding that conscientious objectors be
given alternative service instead of prison. The court rejected his case
last week.
"Seong-Jin can use his medical expertise to serve his country instead of
being in jail," says his mother, Yoon Hyun-Jin, wiping away tears at last
month's trial. Her 26-year-old son was cuffed again, bound in ropes and
taken back to prison.
South Koreans who refuse to take up arms often find little support from
their countrymen and have trouble finding work after their release from
prison. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers face each other along the
Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea, one of the most
heavily fortified places in the world. The 1950-53 Korean War ended with an
armistice rather than a peace treaty, leaving the peninsula technically at
war.
"It's reasonable to jail people who don't go to the army," said Jeong Won
Seok, a 32-year-old programmer. "Who wants to go the army, anyway? Most go
because they have to and sacrifice a lot of freedom for it. What kind of
conscience outweighs the sacrifice made by those who serve in the army?"
South Korea is better known for its catchy K-pop songs, tech-savviness and
economic growth than it is for the more than 17,500 conscientious objectors
who have been imprisoned since 1950. Most are Jehovah's Witnesses, who
number about 100,000 in this country of 50 million and often face stigma in
its largely conformist society.
More than 50 men have refused to serve in the past decade because of
nonreligious personal beliefs or political reasons, including 25-year-old
Kim Dong Hyun.
"Right now, I only have two choices: military or prison. Of the two, I
think prison is the more peaceful choice," Kim said. "At least in prison I
don't have to train to kill."
Kim, like Jeon, was sentenced to 18 months, which today is a typical
sentence for conscientious objectors in South Korea. Under South Korea's
military-backed dictatorship in the 1970s and 80s, imprisonment lasted up
to seven years.
The United Nations Human Rights Committee criticizes South Korea for not
recognizing conscientious objectors and failing to give them alternatives
to military service-- a violation of freedom of thought, conscience and
religion recognized in the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights. South Korea has been party to the covenant since 1990, but the
country has made no major changes to stop the jailings.
Seoul's Defense Ministry cites North Korea's security threat as a key
reason for not recognizing conscientious objectors. In 2010, a South Korean
warship sank in the Yellow Sea after an alleged North Korean attack,
killing 46 sailors. The same year, four South Koreans were killed by North
Korean shelling of a coastal island. About 28,500 American troops are
deployed in South Korea to help deter North Korean aggression.
Each year, South Korea conscripts more than 26,000 men and sends 300 to 800
conscientious objectors or draft evaders to prison, according to Seoul's
Military Manpower Administration, which handles conscription matters. The
government doesn't distinguish draft evaders and conscientious objectors
like Jeon.
Society's caustic view of conscientious objectors has much to do with
draft-dodging by celebrities and society's privileged. The country has
known sons of rich and powerful men bribing or cheating their way out of
drafts. In 1997, presidential hopeful Lee Hoi-chang lost both votes and
integrity after his two sons were accused of draft evasion.
Other men have damaged joints and ligaments and even feigned insanity to
avoid the army.
There are legitimate ways to avoid becoming a soldier: South Korea allows
alternative civil service for men with minor disabilities, special skills
or high academic achievements. Even men who cover their bodies with tattoos
get alternative service because the army rejects them. But attempts to
allow alternative service for conscientious objectors fell apart in 2008.
Seoul's Defense Ministry said it scrapped the proposal because two-thirds
of the country opposed it in opinion polls. Proponents of alternative civil
service say such rights shouldn't be curbed by public opinion.
The consequences for conscientious objectors go beyond prison. Two years
ago, the government sent a notice to Jeon's hospital to fire the dentist or
be charged with violating the Military Service Act, which prohibits
employers from hiring draft evaders. Jeon can continue his medical practice
after his release but won't be able to work in the public sector because of
his criminal record.
Lee Jo-Eun, an activist at Seoul-based group WithoutWar, which organizes
anti-war protests and workshops for conscientious objectors, said they are
often shut out of jobs at big companies and in the public sector, and often
have to settle for part-time work.
Jeon has said in court that he felt he had no choice but to reject military
service. Two years ago, he told judges that even as a child, he couldn't
bear the guilt he felt playing with a toy gun.
His beliefs haven't wavered in prison. He began his unsuccessful appeal
last month by telling judges, "My conscience has never felt more
comfortable."
Received on Thu Mar 27 2014 - 17:09:43 EDT