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| Coping With a Conscience Condemned |
| Alternatives needed for conscientious objectors in Korea |
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Michael Solis (internews)  |
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Published 2008-03-05 10:33 (KST) |
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| This National Human Rights Commission of Korea series of articles aims to raise public awareness about immigration and discrimination issues that the NHRCK deals with on a regular basis. Future articles will highlight migrant worker issues in relation to international marriage, deportation, immigration, visa revocations and discrimination in the workplace. <Editor's Note> |
"There is a world that I dream about where everybody is respected as human beings with equal dignity no matter whether they are man or woman, heterosexual or homosexual, white or black. In Korea, on many occasions this is not realized. There are many hierarchical specifications with respect to gender, social status, age, provincial origin, and academic background."
A beautifully worded reflection, I must say. But would you believe me if I told you that these words came from a former "enemy" of the South Korean state?
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FROM THE SECTION |
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| My friend Cho is just one of thousands of Korean conscientious objectors who have been imprisoned for refusing to partake in military service. According to Minkahyup, a human rights organization based in Seoul, over 4,000 Korean men have been imprisoned for conscientious objection since 2002. Currently, over 630 objectors are serving prison sentences.
"The fundamental reason for rejecting military duty was not simply to avoid getting involved in killing activities," said Go, a Christian conscientious objector. "Also it was to avoid any exercise of violence such as threatening or pressuring someone with a gun. But while I was in prison, I experienced just as much violence as the military does. What was worse was that I was living in a condition that tempted me to exercise the same violence...That really hurt me."
The majority of Korean conscientious objectors are Jehovah's Witnesses, but Buddhists, Christians, Seventh-day Adventists, pacifists, socialists, and gay rights activists have also refused military service, though in smaller numbers.
Regardless of their backgrounds, conscientious objectors assert that the Korean Military Service Act infringes on their constitutional rights to freedom of religion and freedom of conscious. These unalienable rights have also been guaranteed by international instruments. For instance, Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), a UN treaty that Korea ratified in 1990, safeguards the freedoms of thought, conscience, and religion for all people. As is such, South Korea is in violation of the international standards that honor the right of people to conscientiously object to mandatory military service.
But the complications in Korea do not end there. The previous governmental administration expressed its plans to adopt alternatives to military service, but these alternatives were to be framed punitively so as to extend the time period of alternative service considerably in comparison to military service. The current administration's plans for alternative service remain unclear, but if it decides to uphold previously proposed policies, or worse, fails to adopt any forms of alternative service, the result will be rising levels of heat from the international community.
"To solve this problem, we have to accept alternative service," said an excited and emotional conscientious objector named Lee.
Lee has found life after conscientious objection to be just as, if not more, difficult than his imprisonment years. Because of his criminal record, teaching jobs are automatically out the window, and Lee has quickly discovered that companies, both large and small, do not want "ex-convicts" working for them.
"I want to live normally," he said. "Jehovah's witnesses, pacifists, and others who are against the military and who are afraid of military power, all of them should have the right to choose alternative service. For me, the whole process is over, but I'm still trying to contemplate the issue. I'm trying and trying."
If I gleaned anything from my discussions with Cho, Go, and Lee, it is that much remains to be done. Fortunately, the international community agrees. With mounting pressure from organizations like the United Nations, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch, the South Korean government will inevitably have to address the issue of conscientious objection in the near future.
Change is possible. Successful alternative service programs that are not punitive in nature have been launched in democracies throughout the world, including the once divided Germany. Programs that are punitive in nature have also been launched in nations like Greece and Armenia, inspiring concern and condemnation from international human rights bodies. And still, there are those few nations that have failed to develop any alternatives to military service, like South Korea. These are the most widely condemned nations of all with respect to this issue.
Koreans deserve better. The decisions that need to be made have already been outlined by others. With the world encouraging Korea to honor the basic principles of dignity and freedom that formulate the essence of democracy, it is now simply in the hands of Korean leaders to break away from the traditions that have bound so many to devastation and to improve the ways in which the state treats its own citizens.
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Michael Solis is a visiting researcher at the National Human Rights Commission of Korea under the auspices of the Luce Scholars Program. He is a graduate of Princeton University.
The National Human Rights Commission of Korea was established in 2001 to promote human rights education and defend those who have experienced discrimination, or have had a human right violated, and to safeguard the provisions set for in international human rights conventions and treaties, to which the Republic of Korea is a signatory. The Commission offers counseling, full investigation and protection for residents in Korea, and develops educational initiatives for organizations and educators to increase awareness about human rights and the value of each individual in society. |
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©2008 OhmyNews
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