Court annuls community service order for convicted U.S. soldier

SEOUL, May 6 (Yonhap) -- A high court on Wednesday repealed a community service
order for a convicted U.S. soldier stationed in South Korea, citing
jurisdictional rules for armed services personnel.

The Seoul High Court overturned a lower court's ruling on the 22-year-old
soldier, whose name was withheld, that sentenced him to 30 months in prison with
a three-year suspension and 120 hours of community service. The court upheld the
suspended jail term.
It ruled, however, that community service was "inappropriate," arguing that
probation laws do not apply to those subject to military law.
The defendant was charged and convicted for robbing a supermarket in the city of
Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, in August 2008. The American serviceman
had appealed the lower court ruling, citing practical difficulties such as a
language barrier in fulfilling his community service.
Some 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea, a legacy of the 1950-1953
Korean War.
odissy@yna.co.kr
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