South Korea military objectors say don't jail pacifists

By Jon Herskovitz and Kim Junghyun

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean Go Gong-ju had a choice of serving in the army or doing a stint in jail. He chose jail and became one of the country's several hundred conscientious objectors locked up each year.

"My nerves were shot in prison because I was jailed without committing a crime," said Go, a deeply religious Roman Catholic, who was sentenced to 18 months in jail for refusing to serve.

Military service is mandatory for all able-bodied South Korean men in order to field a fighting force strong enough to deter North Korea's 1.2 million-strong army from attacking.

About 300,000 men are conscripted each year into the military or riot police in South Korea. But every year around 750 men refuse to join on moral grounds, often because they are pacifists.

Prospective recruits unable to actively serve in the military due to health problems usually get desk jobs. But those who object to army service on moral grounds, although are willing to do community service or fill other non-military jobs, go to jail. Calls for alternative service for conscientious objectors have been rebuffed by conservatives who say it would open a new door for draft dodgers in a country where people already go to great lengths to avoid what is typically two years of mandatory military service.

The often grueling military service sets back university studies and delays sometimes lucrative careers in a competitive country where there are enormous social pressures to be high achievers both academically and professionally.

Attempts to avoid military service for health or personal reasons have long dogged the military and officials have become skilled at seeing through false claims.

But avoiding service on moral grounds is a highly emotive issue that conservatives fear could undermine the commitment of the country's youth to spend two years of their lives in the army at a sometimes high personal cost when others do not.

Military pay is minuscule and life in the barracks is harsh.

Service starts at the age of 19, although recruits can defer for a few years depending on their family situation or study plans. For almost all young men, military service interrupts their studies at university or the start of their careers.

"South Korean society seems to lack trust and confidence in the draft system so people are concerned about possible abuse of the alternative service system," said Chun Sangchin, a sociology professor at Sogang University in Seoul.

"Too many people see the draft system as the only, and even a sacred way to serve the country."

REFUSING TO SERVE

Conscientious objectors such as Go often spend the rest of their lives tainted by their decision. Most of the objectors are Jehovah's Witnesses, who say their religion forbids military service.

Criminal records from draft dodging make it difficult for objectors to find good jobs and the issue of army service is often raised by potential employers during job interviews.