MMA To Amend Law To Prevent Suspects From Escaping To Army + Seungri Submits Request To Delay Enlistment

Seungri has officially requested to postpone his military enlistment, and the Military Manpower Administration plans to make an amendment to the law to prevent people from enlisting as a way of escaping from unfavorable situations in life.

On the morning of March 18, at the plenary session of the National Defense Committee, Commissioner Ki Chan Soo of the Military Manpower Administration responded to a question about what would happen if Seungri does not request to delay his enlistment. The session was held before Seungri submitted the request.

He stated, “The Military Manpower Administration does not have the legal power to postpone his enlistment. Using this case as a lesson, we are planning to make an amendment to the law to allow the Military Manpower Administration to postpone one’s enlistment if one causes a societal uproar, enlists for the purpose of escaping from reality, or if there is a request from an investigative authority to delay the enlistment. We are sorry that we did not come up with such measures despite having had similar cases in the past. Following this incident, we will make sure to revise the law.”

Jung Kyung Doo, the Minister of National Defense, stated, “[Currently], if one is indicted by the prosecution, there are legal grounds to delay their enlistment, but because [that is not the case], we cannot [postpone Seungri’s enlistment]. [If he enlists], we will cooperate with the police to allow for a thorough investigation that abides by the law.”

Previously on March 15, Seungri announced his plans to postpone his enlistment. On the afternoon of March 18, his lawyer Son Byung Ho confirmed, “Seungri submitted a request to delay his enlistment today. We are hoping the Military Manpower Administration will grant the request.”

Meanwhile, the Center for Military Human Rights Korea is pressing for the postponement of Seungri’s enlistment. They stated, “When a case that involves several people is investigated by two entities (the military and the police), it becomes more difficult for the investigation to be handled properly. Because Seungri will stand trial alone at a military court, it is hard to ensure that the decision made will be consistent with those of the other suspects. The military service is not a prison sentence. It is an insult to the nation’s soldiers who are serving their country to consider enlistment as a means of self-reflection and atonement.”

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