Photo of poor-quality meals posted on the Facebook page 'Yukgun Hullyeonso Daesinjeonhaedeurimnida'.
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) will launch an on-site investigation into military training centers that have sparked controversy for restricting basic rights of trainees, such as bathroom use, under the pretext of COVID-19 prevention measures, as well as for poor-quality meals.
On the 29th, the NHRCK announced that it will conduct the "2021 Military Human Rights Situation Survey" targeting military training centers. This survey aims to investigate and improve the overall human rights conditions, including basic training environments such as meals, hygiene, medical care, and safety rights of trainees in military training centers, as well as the COVID-19 response system for trainees and the management status of isolated soldiers.
The investigation targets include the Army Training Center, about 20 division recruit training units, and recruit training units of the Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. The survey will be conducted in the form of a research project commissioned to an external professional institution, with NHRCK investigators visiting each military training center directly to focus mainly on trainees. An NHRCK official explained, "We will examine whether basic rights guaranteed to humans are being unjustly restricted under the guise of military training education," adding, "In particular, we plan to focus on whether trainees' basic rights are being arbitrarily restricted for infectious disease prevention purposes amid the COVID-19 situation."
Meanwhile, the NHRCK is currently investigating complaints related to excessive quarantine measures recently raised within military training centers. It also plans to analyze precedents of human rights violations that occurred in the past at military training centers such as the Army Training Center and prepare policy alternatives.
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