Rice urges S. Korea to allow alternative service to military draftees

By Hwang Doo-hyong
WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Friday called on South Korea to introduce legislation allowing conscientious objectors to do social service in place of mandatory military service.

"The government of South Korea announced the introduction of alternative service
for religious or conscientious objectors and we encourage the National assembly
to pass this legislation," Rice told a press conference organized here to mark
the release of an annual report on religious freedom.
Alternative military service is a sensitive issue in South Korea where all South
Korean men are obliged to serve in the military for at least 24 months in the
face of threats from North Korea. Those with physical or mental disabilities are
exempted.
Every year hundreds of South Korean conscripts are imprisoned for their refusal
to take up arms in the military.
The South Korean government has recently said it will conduct a public survey on
the issue.
The National Human Rights Commission of South Korea recommended in 2005 that the
government look into a possible alternative service program for conscientious
objectors.
A poll conducted last year by a local broadcaster showed that over 50 percent of
respondents also saw the need to provide such an alternative service program.
The Defense Ministry has opposed such a program, citing lack of public consensus.
The Constitutional Court of South Korea ruled in 2004 that freedom of conscience
should not force legislation that might undermine national security, but added
the National Assembly might be able to seek a way to strike a balance between the
two.
hdh@yna.co.kr
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