Supreme Court: Non-Religious Pacifists Also Entitled to Alternate Military Service

Photo: the Supreme Court.  Credit: Website of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Korea.

The Supreme Court 대법원 held for the first time that non-religious conscientious objectors to the military draft are entitled to alternative service.

Alternative service was first made available in 2018 following a ruling by the Constitutional Court 헌법재판소, but thus far was given only to religious pacifists, nearly all Jehovah’s Witnesses 여호와의 증인. (See previous coverage, “Alternative Military Service for Conscientious Objectors.”)

Based on the fact that the petitioner attended numerous pacifist protests and wrote journalistic and academic papers on human rights, the Supreme Court found there was specific evidence for “true conscience” 진정한 양심.