Military Confinement System Abolished After 124 Years

Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo is entering the conference room to attend the Cabinet meeting held at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 28th. Photo by Jang Jin-hyeong aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Yang Nak-gyu] The military detention system, implemented by Emperor Gojong of the Korean Empire through an imperial decree, will disappear after 124 years. The system faced constitutional controversy for violating the principle of warrant requirement regarding personal freedom.

According to the Ministry of National Defense on the 28th, the military detention system will be abolished as the revised Military Personnel Act, which replaces detention with military discipline education, takes effect from the 5th of next month.

Until now, disciplinary actions against soldiers were classified into demotion, detention, leave restrictions, and confinement. However, detention will be eliminated, and disciplinary measures will only include demotion, military discipline education, pay reduction, and reprimand. The newly implemented military discipline education, replacing detention, involves education and training on military spirit and service attitude. The education is conducted within a separate facility for up to 15 days. The period of military discipline education, like detention, is not counted as service time. Pay reduction can decrease salary by one-fifth for 1 to 3 months. A reprimand refers to a warning issued after identifying misconduct or errors to prevent recurrence.

The detention system began on January 24, 1896, when Emperor Gojong issued Imperial Decree No. 11, enacting the "Army Punishment Ordinance." The detention system involved confinement in a designated place for up to 15 days as a disciplinary measure. It was continuously criticized for its legality and appropriateness, especially since it was practically no different from imprisonment.

Earlier, Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo stated at the "Defense Reform 2.0 and Smart Defense Innovation Progress Meeting" held in December last year, "The military detention system, which began in the late Joseon period during Emperor Gojong's era, will disappear into history after 124 years," adding, "We are promoting related follow-up measures, such as improving the military discipline education system, to ensure that military discipline does not weaken due to the abolition of detention."

A Ministry of National Defense official said, "We will continue to pursue defense reform to guarantee soldiers' human rights while firmly maintaining military discipline."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.