Page 162 - 2020 Defence White Paper

2. Political Neutrality of the ROK Armed Forces

Revising the Relevant Laws to The ROK Armed Forces carries out the
Eradicate Political Intervention sacred mission of defending the country
and protecting the lives and property of
the people through national security.
Accordingly, the Constitution and other laws stipulate the Armed Forces’ obli-
gation to be politically neutral, ensuring the execution of their inherent missions.
However, considering that military servicemebers are not free of pressure from
superiors due to the military’s vertical rank and command-obey structure, there still
remains a factor that can induce political intervention by servicemembers.
To address this issue, the MND plans to revise the relevant laws and regulations
to eradicate any political involvement caused by political pressure and to enhance
political neutrality.
Until now, there was no basis for severe punishment if an outside public official
instructed servicemembers to intervene in politics. Also, there was no obligation
to report unethical orders to meddle in politics nor legal provisions protecting
whistleblowers. Hence, the MND seeks to revise the Framework Act on Military
Status and Service and the State Public Officials Act to impose greater punishment
when an outside public official instructs a servicemember to engage in unethical
political intervention, to mandate the reporting of political meddling instructions,
and to provide a legal basis for securing the whistleblower’s confidentiality and
rewarding the corresponding whistleblower. In addition, the MND plans to revise

the Military Unit Management Directive by supplementing the "Code of Conduct on
Political Neutrality of the Military" and the "Detailed Standards of Conduct".
The people’s trust in the military is the basis of the military’s combat power, and
such trust is guaranteed only when the military is faithful to its inherent duties.
Therefore, the ROK Armed Forces will continue to improve the legal foundation
for compliance with political neutrality obligations to eradicate possible political
interventions inside and outside the military, offering an environment where
servicemembers can focus on their inherent duties.

Raising the Awareness of Servicemembers to The MND has allowed the
Comply with Political Neutrality use of mobile phones in
the military as part of the
creation of a barracks culture that guarantees human rights and basic rights of each
servicemember. As servicemembers are able to express their personal opinions

160 2020 Defense White Paper