Greetings from the Representative

 Greetings! This is Teahoon Lim, the Representative for the Center for Military Human Rights, Korea (CMHRK).

  As other areas of human rights, the human rights situations in the military has receded to the far past under the current administration though it was making small progress under the Deajung Kim’s and MuhyeonRoh’s administration.Soldiers are dying due to irrational urgent evacuation system, the rights to freedom of expression and opinion and the rights to privacy are trodden under the name of national security.

The proportion of suicide out of soldier’s death toll is increasing constantly; the Military Court fails to maintain the independence of the Judicature. The ground upon which the Center relied in order to maintain its basis under this situation that even common sense does not work whenever we dealing with the Ministry of National Defense was the idea that societal changes can be made when the military changes.

However, the military authority and the military culture obstinately refuse monitoring and trail for alternation from the outside under the name of sacred military obligation; therefore, numerous human rights infringement cases occurred.In spite of that, military life is considered for soldiers to tolerate as a kind of a rite of passage, there is strong atmosphere that makes the one who brings a problem up a social misfit.

  Even under this condition, CMHRK wishes that the military health system gets improved so that invaluable life shall not be disregarded in the military; commanders shall be responsible for any medical accidents if any; as citizens in uniform soldiers shall enjoy other civil rights along with the rights to freedom of expression and opinion; an alternative military service shall be adopted; Article 92-5[1] shall be deleted which criminalizes the consented same-sex relationship; the principles of protection of victims of sex crimes in the military; military prison, arbitrary detention, shall be ceased which violates the doctrine of warrants; comprehensive improvements shall be implemented regarding military judicial system along with abolition of Military Courts that violates the independence of the judicature; military ombudsperson system for the national defense shall be adopted to monitor all of above.

  The military that the human rights are protected is the truly strong military. It is certain that the national defense will be increased when the military is governed under the idea that human rights come first. CMHRK will work harder to make the military uphold the Constitution so that people may perform their military obligation safer.

Thank you.

Representative

Lim, Taehoon

[1] The National Assembly amended the Military Criminal Act in March 2013, therefore, it became Article 92-6.