Half of high-ranking gov't officials' children given favor in military duty: lawmaker

More than half of high-ranking civil officials' children have received favors in carrying out their compulsory military service, an opposition lawmaker said Wednesday, casting concerns over inequality among soldiers.

According to the data compiled by Rep. Kim Joong-ro of the minor opposition People's Party, around 54.1 percent of family members belonging to high ranking public employees were assigned to rear area, non-combat units. He pointed out that on the whole, such positions only account for 33 percent of military positions.

As the country is still technically at war with the North, all able-bodied South Korean men between the ages of 18 and 35 must serve in the military for about two years.

Rep. Kim Joong-ro of the minor People's Party (Yonhap)

Among those serving at non-combat units, many of them had parents currently working at local courts, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or the National Assembly, the lawmaker said.

Kim said a relatively high number of such privileged offspring are also serving at the Defense Security Command or with the United States Eighth Army, which usually only recruits a handful of soldiers.

The lawmaker said the data cannot help but cast doubts on the transparency of the military posting procedures. (Yonhap)