Park Min-sik "Illegal Absence Processing for Reserve Forces... I Want to Give Scholarships"

Student Misses Scholarship Due to Reserve Forces Absence
Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Criticizes Hankuk University of Foreign Studies on SNS
"Checked All Relevant Laws, Absence Processing Is Illegal"

Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Park Min-sik criticized the case of a university student who was marked absent after attending reserve forces training and consequently did not receive a scholarship, saying, "It is unacceptable to impose a penalty rather than an award."

On the 9th, Minister Park posted on his SNS, "The situation where attending reserve forces training is not recognized as attendance, resulting in the loss of a scholarship, violates the Constitution, Military Service Act, Veterans Support Act, and Reserve Forces Act." He emphasized again, "Students participating in reserve forces training are heroes who dedicate their early twenties, the prime of their lives, to the country," adding, "Even after discharge, they endure their time and physical hardship to fulfill the duties assigned by the state by attending reserve forces training."

Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Park Min-sik
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Minister Park stated, "As the Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, I would even like to give a scholarship to that returning student," and added, "I ask someone to please contact me." He further said, "At the level of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, we will promptly prepare comprehensive measures to ensure that students who have sacrificed for the country do not suffer disadvantages for unjust reasons."

According to Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, student A, currently enrolled, took a 2-credit after-school program at the Global Campus Foreign Language Education Center this semester and achieved the top grade. The top student in the program is awarded a scholarship of 120,000 KRW, but A was marked absent and penalized because of attending reserve forces training, receiving only part of the scholarship.

The Reserve Forces Act stipulates that no disadvantageous treatment shall be given for attending reserve forces training, and anyone who imposes such unfair treatment without justifiable reason is subject to imprisonment of up to two years or a fine of up to 20 million KRW.

Student A protested to the professor in charge, citing the current law, but the professor refused to correct the grade, stating, "According to the center’s internal regulations, excused absences are not recognized, and the center’s regulations take precedence over the Reserve Forces Act." After this fact became known, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies belatedly took measures to correct the grade for the class and decided to award the full scholarship to student A.

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