Will South Korea find peaceful resolution A decision by the Constitutional Court that is due in the very near future will determine the future of some 1,600 young men, most of whom are now serving three-year jail sentences in South Korea. This prison term—the maximum allowable sentence under Military Criminal Law—is being served by young Jehovah's Witnesses who consistently refuse military service on religious grounds and who make up almost all conscientious objectors in South Korea. In December 2001, however, Mr. Taeyang Oh, a 26-year-old Buddhist and pacifist also refused military conscription on the grounds that it would violate his religious and moral beliefs. Since Mr. Oh may be the first non-Witness conscientious objector in South Korea, his case has far reaching implications. The outcome could indicate whether Jehovah's Witnesses are being singled out for religious persecution or whether South Korea must address larger human rights issues that apply to all citizens, regardless of their religious beliefs. On January 29, 2002, the stakes were raised when a judge granted the probation request of a 21-year-old Witness conscientious objector, instead of sending him to prison. Judge Park Sihwan of the South District Criminal Court of Seoul also granted a defense motion to refer the case to the nation's Constitutional Court. At issue was whether current law, which only imposes punishment and has no provision for alternative civilian service, may be in violation of basic rights guaranteed by South Korea's constitution. The Witness is currently free on bail, pending the Constitutional Court's decision. President Kim Dae-jung of South Korea received the 2000 Nobel Peace Prize for his work on democracy, human rights, and reconciliation with North Korea. Today, however, his country faces a human rights dilemma that focuses on South Korea's policy toward peacemakers. Media contact: J. R. Brown, telephone
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