Alternative Service for Prison Work to Hold First Assembly on the 26th of Next Month

Alternative service personnel shall perform duties related to social welfare or public interest at alternative service institutions for a period equivalent to 1.5 times the Army service period, but they are not allowed to serve in the armed forces, security correctional units, combat police units, or other duties involving bearing arms.

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] People who have chosen alternative service instead of active duty due to religious beliefs or convictions will be enlisted for the first time in mid-October.

The Military Manpower Administration announced on the 21st, "As of the 31st of last month, a decision was made to include 448 people in alternative service," adding, "Among them, 64 will be enlisted for the first time on October 26."

They will complete three weeks of training at the Alternative Service Training Center within Daejeon Prison and then work at Daejeon Prison (10 people) and Mokpo Prison (54 people), respectively. They will perform auxiliary duties such as meal service, health and hygiene, and facility management during their 36-month communal service.

Alternative service is a form of military service newly introduced after the Constitutional Court ruled in 2018 that Article 5 of the Military Service Act, which regulates types of military service, was "unconstitutional."

Alternative service personnel serve for 36 months in correctional facilities and receive treatment such as salary and leave equivalent to that of active-duty soldiers. Since alternative service requires 36 months of service, the total salary received is about twice as much compared to active-duty army soldiers who serve for 18 months (applied to those enlisted from June this year). The salary for alternative service personnel will be funded by the Ministry of Justice's budget, which manages correctional facilities.

The number of leave days also follows the same standards as active-duty army soldiers. Alternative service personnel are granted 1.33 days of annual leave per month of service. The Military Manpower Administration plans to finalize specific leave regulations before the first enlistment in October.

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