Soldiers walk outside a bus terminal in eastern Seoul on Oct. 25, 2021. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Dec. 10 (Korea Bizwire) — Starting from next year, enlisted soldiers will be allowed to take compassionate leave for more than 30 days when they need to be hospitalized for an extended period of time.
The Ministry of National Defense recently went through the process of advance legislation notice for the partial revision of the enforcement ordinance of the Basic Act on Military Status and Service.
This revision is now under deliberation by the Ministry of Government Legislation.
The revision includes a specific provision, which reads: “Compassionate leave should be limited to 30 days a year.
However, in inevitable situations where compassionate leave is needed for more than 30 days for injuries or diseases of the soldiers concerned, it could be approved through the process of deliberation on whether treatment is possible at military hospitals.”
Previously, the provision stipulated that compassionate leave could be used annually up to 30 days when needed or when the soldiers concerned had to take care of their families for injuries or diseases.
For military officers, however, there was a special provision that allowed them to be hospitalized at medical care centers for an additional period of time in accordance with the National Health Insurance Act.
For ordinary enlisted soldiers, there was no separate provision.
The defense ministry expects the revision to contribute to enhancing the right of receiving medical treatment for ordinary enlisted soldiers.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
