ID :
51390
Thu, 03/19/2009 - 16:39
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/51390
The shortlink copeid
Defense ministry sacks officers protesting book ban
By Sam Kim
SEOUL, March 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's defense ministry said Thursday it discharged two of its judicial officers who turned to the Constitutional Court last year to seek the retraction of a military ban on about two dozen books labeled subversive.
It was not immediately clear whether the officers would appeal. The Ministry of
National Defense said they will be given 30 days to decide.
Seven officers filed the constitutional petition in October last year, arguing
that the ban on 23 books -- including two written by U.S. linguist and political
pundit Noam Chomsky -- infringes on soldiers' basic rights.
The ministry divided the books into three categories -- pro-North Korea,
anti-capitalism, and anti-government or anti-U.S. -- claiming the books could
weaken the psychological combat readiness of its soldiers.
Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee had said he would seek penalties against the
officers because he believes they broke the chain of command.
"The officers should have first consulted their senior commanders, but they
breached the rules," Lieutenant Colonel Kwon Rack-kyoon, a judicial officer, said
in a briefing.
Four other officers either retracted their part in the campaign or were found to
have been involved to a minor extent, receiving "light punishment," Kwon said.
The penalty for the remaining one will soon be determined, he added.
Kwon denied media speculation that the military has pressured the officers to
drop their complaint.
Critics challenged the decision, saying it is an anachronistic move that could
invite criticism from outside.
"It is a return to the military regime era," the main opposition Democratic Party
said in a statement, arguing some of the books have been bestsellers.
Chomsky ridiculed the decision in an e-mail last year, saying the ministry should
be renamed "the Ministry of Defense against Freedom and Democracy."
Two of Chomsky's books were included on the ministry's list -- "Year 501: The
Conquest Continues" and "What Uncle Sam Really Wants." The list also has a
publication by Chang Ha-joon, a South Korean professor at Cambridge University in
England.
South and North Korea remain technically at war after the 1950-53 Korean War
ended in a truce. The U.S. has about 28
SEOUL, March 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's defense ministry said Thursday it discharged two of its judicial officers who turned to the Constitutional Court last year to seek the retraction of a military ban on about two dozen books labeled subversive.
It was not immediately clear whether the officers would appeal. The Ministry of
National Defense said they will be given 30 days to decide.
Seven officers filed the constitutional petition in October last year, arguing
that the ban on 23 books -- including two written by U.S. linguist and political
pundit Noam Chomsky -- infringes on soldiers' basic rights.
The ministry divided the books into three categories -- pro-North Korea,
anti-capitalism, and anti-government or anti-U.S. -- claiming the books could
weaken the psychological combat readiness of its soldiers.
Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee had said he would seek penalties against the
officers because he believes they broke the chain of command.
"The officers should have first consulted their senior commanders, but they
breached the rules," Lieutenant Colonel Kwon Rack-kyoon, a judicial officer, said
in a briefing.
Four other officers either retracted their part in the campaign or were found to
have been involved to a minor extent, receiving "light punishment," Kwon said.
The penalty for the remaining one will soon be determined, he added.
Kwon denied media speculation that the military has pressured the officers to
drop their complaint.
Critics challenged the decision, saying it is an anachronistic move that could
invite criticism from outside.
"It is a return to the military regime era," the main opposition Democratic Party
said in a statement, arguing some of the books have been bestsellers.
Chomsky ridiculed the decision in an e-mail last year, saying the ministry should
be renamed "the Ministry of Defense against Freedom and Democracy."
Two of Chomsky's books were included on the ministry's list -- "Year 501: The
Conquest Continues" and "What Uncle Sam Really Wants." The list also has a
publication by Chang Ha-joon, a South Korean professor at Cambridge University in
England.
South and North Korea remain technically at war after the 1950-53 Korean War
ended in a truce. The U.S. has about 28
