[Opinion] Heart-Breaking Suffering?

Socially respected “great families” are not made in a day. Only those who contribute to the nation’s and society’s development by making more sacrifices and efforts than others over several generations deserve to join the ranks of Korea’s “great families.”

Cases in point are families inducted by the Military Manpower Administration (MMA) to their “Hall of Fame” for sincerely fulfilling their military duties. The Hall of Fame recently inducted 124 families whose last three generations—grandfathers, sons and grandsons—served in the military. These are truly great families who dedicated themselves to their country.

Former Minister of Information and Communication Chin Dae-je, who will be running in the May 31 local election as the Uri Party’s candidate for Gyeonggi Province governor, said two days ago in an interview with a radio station, “I am feeling the heart-breaking suffering that parents go through when their children are about to serve their military duty.” His remark was about his 28-year-old son who is about to join the military.

Chin’s son chose U.S. nationality in 1998 and received an exemption from Korea’s obligatory military service, but he recently recovered his Korean nationality. With regard to his son’s decision, Chin explained, “He might have considered, in part, that I, his father, am continuing my career in government.”

Belatedly letting his son, who had been suspected of draft dodging, join the military, Chin said he was feeling “heart-breaking suffering.” What he might be saying is that he actually does not want him to serve.

What do ordinary citizens feel when they hear such words? Korean citizens believe that all Korean men are supposed to report for military service. Recently, the number of voluntary recruits has been on the rise; the life in the military has also been greatly enhanced. Even so, such a prominent figure as Chin—a former minister and possible governor of Gyeonggi Province, where one fourth of the nation’s population is living—is talking as if he were sending his son to a horrible place. Then, who would want to let his son join the military?

Northern part of Gyeonggi is a border area confronting North Korea, with the truce line running in between. In case of war, it is highly likely that the main forces of the two Koreas will clash there. If Chin is considering the unique situation of Gyeonggi Province when sending his son to the military in the face of the election, this would be a deception against the residents of Gyeonggi Province. If he does not want to undergo “heart-breaking suffering,” he could just live in a foreign country where military service is not obligatory. Unless he prefers that, he should not frustrate and infuriate ordinary citizens who fulfill their military obligations.

Han Ki-heung, Editorial Writer, eligius@donga.com