As the undersigned international human rights, peace, and conscientious objection organisations, we declare our full solidarity with South Korean peace activist Min-hyung Kim before his first criminal trial, scheduled for September 10, 2026, at the Seoul Central District Court.
Min-hyung Kim, a long-time peace activist and staff member at the Korea-Vietnam Peace Foundation, publicly declared his conscientious objection to military service on February 23, 2026 [1]. As a total objector, he refuses both compulsory military service and South Korea’s punitive alternative service system, making him the first non-religious pacifist in South Korea to publicly take this stand [2].
We call on the South Korean judiciary to immediately acquit Min-hyung Kim. We also urge the South Korean government to follow its international obligations and fully recognise the right to conscientious objection without punishment, discrimination, or administrative pressure.
The right to conscientious objection to military service is a fundamental human right. It is inherent to the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion, as protected under Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which South Korea has ratified. Also, the UN Human Rights Committee has stated many times that governments must not penalise, criminalise, or imprison people who refuse military service based on their conscience, beliefs, or pacifist convictions.
Although South Korea introduced an alternative service system in 2020, the current system still does not meet international human rights standards [3]. It remains punitive and discriminatory. At 36 months, South Korea’s alternative service is twice as long as standard military service, the longest in the world. And it is limited only to working and living inside correctional facilities (prisons).
Min-hyung Kim’s choice to refuse this system as a total objector comes from his clear pacifist conscience. He refuses to join the military or accept a punitive alternative that is designed to punish objectors.
We are also deeply concerned about the administrative pressure and harassment against Min-hyung Kim’s work. In April and June 2026, the Military Manpower Administration (MMA) sent official letters asking that the Korea-Vietnam Peace Foundation dismiss Min-hyung Kim under Article 76 of the Military Service Act, threatening the employer with criminal prosecution if they did not dismiss him [4][5].
Ahead of Min-hyung Kim’s trial on September 10, 2026, and considering the serious problems with conscientious objection to military service in South Korea, we demand that:
- The Seoul Central District Court acquit Min-hyung Kim of all criminal charges, respecting international human rights law.
- The Military Manpower Administration and the South Korean Government immediately stop all administrative harassment, employment sanctions, and threats against Min-hyung Kim and all conscientious objectors.
- The South Korean Authorities stop criminalising and imprisoning all conscientious objectors.
We will closely follow the trial on September 10 and continue our global solidarity until the right to conscientious objection to military service is fully respected in South Korea. Standing for peace is not a crime.
Signatory organisations
Aseistakieltäytyjäliitto (Union of Conscientious Objectors, Finland)
International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR)
International Peace Bureau (IPB)
References:
[1] World Without War (February 23, 2026): Declaration of Conscientious Objection by Min-hyung Kim https://withoutwar.org/?p=24026
[2] The Korea Herald (March 25, 2026): Choosing jail over enlistment: One Korean man’s pacifist stand https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10700466
[3] Amnesty International (December 27, 2019): South Korea: Alternative to military service is new punishment for conscientious objectors https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/press-release/2019/12/south-korea-alternative-to-military-service-is-new-punishment-for-conscientious-objectors/
[4] World Without War Statement on Military Manpower Administration’s Demand for Dismissal https://withoutwar.org/?p=24017.
[5] On August 26, 2026, the Constitutional Court of Korea ruled that Article 76 was “constitutionally nonconforming” [Legal Campaign Information on Article 76 Constitutional Challenge]. However, the ruling focused only on procedural problems – that the individual was not given a chance to explain, rather than declaring the forced dismissal of conscientious objectors unconstitutional itself. Although the MMA has temporarily paused the dismissal process, the threat against conscientious objectors’ right to work remains.
