Most Koreans support benefits for men after military duty: survey

SEOUL, May 19 (Yonhap) -- Almost eight in 10 South Koreans supported a reinstatement of the controversial reward system for men who apply for public sector jobs after completing their compulsory military service, a survey showed Thursday. The survey of 1,023 adults, including 515 women, commissioned by the Defense Ministry, was disclosed at the same time a bill to revive the system is pending in the National Assembly's judiciary committee. The system was abolished in 1999 when the Constitutional Court ruled it unconstitutional, citing discriminations against women and the disabled. All able-bodied men must serve in South Korea's 650,000-strong military for at least 24 months, a key part of defense against North Korea. Most of the enlisted men are in their early 20s and are forced to put their studies on hold to join the armed forces. According to the survey, 79.4 percent of the respondents said the government needs to reinstate the system as a way of "fair compensation" for the enlisted men. By gender, 84.6 percent of men and 74.2 percent of women surveyed supported the reward system, the survey showed. Only 9.4 percent of men and 17.1 percent of women were against it, with the remainder undecided. The reward system granted bonus points to male applicants with military experience when they took national exams to become civil servants. The survey was conducted in early April by telephone by Gallup Korea and has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points, the ministry said.