Korea, South

Korea Solidarity for Conscientious Objection

5F., CISJD Bldg., #35 Chungjoengno 2(I)-ga, Seodaemun-gu Seoul 120-012 tel +82-2-393 9085 fax +82-2-363 9085 email corights@jinbo.net http://corights.net

WRI Korea

Dobongo-gu, Ssangmun 2- dong, 49-6, 2ndFloor, Gadis, Infoshop Seoul 132-859 tel +82-2-991-5020 fax +82-2-389-5755 email wrikorea@hotmail.com

Religious organizations Jehovah's Witnesses

Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Korea

Dong Hyuk Na

For 50 years, since the Korean War, about 10,000 COs have been imprisoned. Most of those COs were Jehovah's Witnesses. Not until the 21st century did COs who have ideological, political beliefs appear amid serious reflection on militarism and nationalism. The anti-war movement in Korea, which began after 11 September 2001, exerted a great influence on their conviction against war and for peace. I am one of those and the fourth objector for nonreligious reasons.

Sang Youl Sohn

Many people think that the crisis on the Korean peninsula started in the wake of North Korea's nuclear development. However, contrary to what is commonly known, it is right to think that the crisis initiated from the aggressive nuclear and military policies made by the US, and military approach to this by North Korea made the crisis more complicated.

Solidarity for Peace and Human Rights

5F., CISJD Bldg., #35 Chungjoengno 2(I)-ga, Seodaemun-gu Seoul 120-012 tel +82-2-393 9085 fax +82-2-363 9085 email peace@jinbo.net http://peace.jinbo.net

World Without War

2F., 242-73 Sangdo 4-dong, dongjak-gu Seoul 156-806 Tel: +82-2-815-4477 Email: admin@withoutwar.org

Korean House for International Solidarity

2F., 32 Wonseo-dong, Jongno-gu Seoul 110-280 Tel: +82-2-3675-5808 Fax: +82-2-3673-5627 Email: khis21@empal.com

Young-il Hong

The history of conscientious objection on the Korean Peninsula dates back to 1939. As Japanese Jehovah's Witnesses who had refused military service began to be arrested on 21 June, the wave of arresting Jehovah's Witnesses began to sweep through Taiwan on 22 June and Korea on 29 June. As a result, 33 Jehovah's Witnesses were indicted in Korea. Most of the Jehovah's Witnesses working in Korea from 1939 to the end of the second world war were imprisoned on account of conscientious objection.

Jung-min Choi

Jung-min Choi

Only early in 2001 the concept of "objection to military service" became known to the Korean public. A current affairs magazine reported on a forum on the military service system, including the right to conscientious objection. It especially reported on the history of Jehovah's Witnesses CO. Since the formation of the Korean army, over 10,000 objectors (mostly Jehovah's Witnesses) have spent time behind bars. The public has treeted them as nonexistent.

Prisoners for Peace Day 2003 focuses on the young movement of conscientious objectors in South Korea. Although conscientious objection in young in terms of a movement, the history of imprisonment of conscientious objectors--of Jehovah's Witnesses--goes back a long while. More than 10,000 Jehovah's Witnesses have been imprisoned in the last 50 years for their conscientious objection, mostly to three years imprisonment, and until recently often several times.

(...)

85. The national legislation reportedly does not guarantee the right to conscientious objection on grounds of religious belief.

23 March 2009

Issues

Korea maintains conscription.

The right to conscientious objection is not
recognised.

Those
who refuse to answer a call up for reserve duty are
subject to multiple prosecutions and repeated fines or imprisonment.

Military recruitment
Conscription

Conscription is enshrined in art.

Korea, annexed as a colony in 1910, suffered under oppressive Japanese rule until the end of World War II. During that time there were many acts of repression against the Korean people, no single example of which was more severe or massive than the forcible drafting of Korean women for sexual service to Japanese troops located throughout the Asia-Pacific area. The euphemistic term by which these women were known is translated into English as ‘comfort women’ (or girls).