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| A screenshot from a promotional video of the Military Manpower Administration (MMA) shows a man saying, “You can proudly call yourself a man only when you fulfill your military service.” Screenshot from the MMA YouTube channel |
By Bahk Eun-ji
The Military Manpower Administration (MMA) has taken flak over a promotional video that critics say disparages those assigned to non-combat duties for their mandatory military service due to health or other reasons.
On Nov. 5, the MMA posted video footage on its YouTube channel in which an active service member on leave talks over a meal with his friends, who haven’t been enlisted yet, about life in the barracks.
The problematic part was about the service member’s physical grade. While all able-bodied men in Korea must serve in the military, only those who receive grades of 1 to 3 in their heath examination serve in the military, while those who receive a grade of 4 are assigned to less physically demanding duties, mostly public service positions at public organizations, and those who get a grade of 5 are exempt from duty.
In the video, the man said that he was initially given a grade of 4, but joined the military after losing weight through an MMA program and improving his grade. The project helps those who receive a grade 4 or 5, due to extreme obesity or other health reasons, to get support from hospitals, fitness clubs or public health centers, to lose weight or improve their condition if they want to serve in combat positions.
The man said, “I applied for the project because I thought it fits well with my character,” and the friend replied, “You can proudly call yourself a man only when you fulfill the military service.”
This video has drawn a barrage of criticism for disparaging people who receive grades of 4 or 5 and take public service positions instead of combat duty.
“This is a serious derogatory remark against the young people who serve as social workers for their military service,” Kang Min-jin, a representative of the progressive minor opposition Justice Party’s youth chapter, said in a statement, Saturday.
“The Korean military, which exploits young people without even paying the minimum wage, needs fundamental changes. It is regrettable that there was no reflection concerning the reality of the military in the promotional video, and that it was only full of self-praise for recent salary increases,” Kang said.
As the controversy heated up, the MMA decided to revise the video.
“We are sorry that the video raised controversy, which was not our intention,” an MMA official said.
Criticism mounting over military promo video
Source: Buhay Kapa PH
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