Constitutional Court to hear conscientious objector cases

The Constitutional Court is scheduled to rule on several conscientious objectors on Thursday.

The hearing scheduled this week is the latest in a series of conscientious objector cases heard by South Korea’s Constitutional Court, which has previously ruled that avoiding mandatory conscription is illegal, citing Article 88 of the Military Service Act.

South Korea has long taken a hardline stance on conscientious objectors, dating back to the 2004 ruling by the Supreme Court.

But the Moon Jae-in administration is now under pressure to come up with alternatives as over 5,700 men, many of whom are Jehovah‘s Witnesses, have refused to serve in the military on religious grounds since 2006.

In a confirmation hearing held last October, President of the Constitutional Court Lee Jin-sung said that alternative ways to fulfill military obligations need to be reviewed.

By Yim Hyun-su (hyunsu@heraldcorp.com)