S. Korean soldiers to sleep in beds starting in 2013: ministry

By Sam Kim
SEOUL, April 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's military said Monday it plans to
provide each soldier with an individual bed by 2013, dispensing with sleeping on
floors.
Most South Korean rank-and-filers sleep crammed against one another in quarters
partitioned by platoon, a source of complaints about mandatory service in the
country's armed forces. The Ministry of National Defense said it will introduce a
6.3-meter-square bed for each non-officer-level soldier starting in early 2013.
Koreans traditionally sleep on heated floors, but many people now use beds.
Critics argue space on sleeping floors is scant for soldiers who are used to beds
before enlistment and even infringes on their basic human rights because it
generates unnecessary physical contact.
South Korea operates a 655,000-strong force. All able-bodied men must serve in
the military or perform equivalent civilian service for at least two years, as
their country is technically at war with North Korea since the 1950-53 Korean War
ended in a truce rather than a peace treaty.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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