Military Service Exemptions Revoked as Beneficiaries Flout Public Service Requirements

[Anchor]

As previously reported, recipients of alternative military service exemptions are required to complete 544 hours of public service activities serving socially vulnerable groups and youth. However, our reporting reveals that out of 173 beneficiaries over the past four years, 110 received warnings, and seven had their exemption status completely revoked.

Ha Jeong-yeon reports exclusively.

[Reporter]

A total of 19 players on the national baseball team became eligible for military service exemptions after winning gold at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games.

It has come to light that three of them received warnings after failing to complete their quarterly public service hours, citing reasons such as conditioning the day before professional games.

They are not the only ones.

According to Military Manpower Administration data obtained by SBS, a total of 173 people were enlisted as arts and sports personnel under the military service exemption program over the past four years.

After basic military training, they must complete at least 24 hours of public service per quarter, totaling 544 hours over 34 months.

These activities include arts and sports programs for vulnerable social groups, as well as mentoring and educational activities for children and youth.

However, over the past four years, as many as 110 people received warnings for violating public service completion requirements after failing to fulfill these required hours.

There were also two cases of submitting false performance records, and seven cases where exemptions were completely revoked after individuals failed to fulfill the requirement within one year despite receiving an extension.

Failing to meet quarterly quotas results in a warning, and the unfulfilled service hours are doubled. Upon a fourth violation, a criminal complaint is filed; if convicted, the individual must serve the remaining term on active duty or as a social service agent.

Yet, despite these punitive measures, the problem is that violations have not diminished.

[Min Hong-chul / National Assembly National Defense Committee (Democratic Party of Korea): "Times have changed. The criteria for 'enhancing national prestige' are now very ambiguous. In principle, I believe the system should be abolished or drastically downsized."]

With as many as 162 individuals granted military service exemptions through the last three Asian Games alone, calls to revise the eligibility criteria continue to mount.

Video by Shin Jin-soo, Joo Yong-jin, Shin Dong-hwan | Video Editing by Park Seon-soo | Design by Choi Jae-young, Lee Ga-jin
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.