Human Rights Commission: "No Rank Discrimination in Use of Military Welfare Facilities"

[Asia Economy Reporter Gong Byung-sun] The National Human Rights Commission has recommended the Minister of National Defense to improve related systems to prevent discrimination based on rank in the eligibility for military personnel's children dormitory admission and the use of military welfare facilities. The selection criteria for users of military welfare facilities should ensure that usage opportunities are equally distributed to all members regardless of rank or length of service.

On the 20th, the Human Rights Commission announced that it recommended the Minister of National Defense to "remove the rank of direct ascendant parents from the 'Military Personnel's Children Dormitory Operation Regulations' that stipulate the eligibility for admission to the military personnel's children dormitory." The Commission explained, "Given the purpose of the military personnel's children dormitory system, it is reasonable to base the selection of residents on the degree of difficulty military children face living apart from their parents," and added, "There is no rational reason to treat officers and non-commissioned officers differently by using the rank of direct ascendant military personnel as an evaluation criterion as is currently done."

The Commission also stated, "Currently, the welfare facility usage scoring system allows a master sergeant with over 28 years of service to earn 114 points, whereas a lieutenant colonel or higher officer with over 28 years of service earns 124 points," and added, "Such criteria lower the morale of non-commissioned officers and do not meet the appropriateness of means." Furthermore, the Commission noted that it referred to the 2018 'Non-Commissioned Officers Human Rights Situation Survey,' in which a significant number of non-commissioned officers expressed the need to prohibit rank discrimination when using welfare facilities.

Previously, the Human Rights Commission received a petition stating that during the selection of residents for the military personnel's children dormitory, children of officers were awarded higher points than children of non-commissioned officers with the same years of service, and that welfare points for using military welfare facilities were also awarded higher to officers than to non-commissioned officers with the same years of service. At that time, the Ministry of National Defense defended the petition by stating that selections were generally made equally by status.

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