Conscientious Objector Jailed After Being Outed As PUBG Participant

The Supreme Court docket of Korea has dominated {that a} South Korean man should serve one yr and 6 months in jail after he refused the nation’s obligatory army service. He had argued he was a conscientious objector, however a decrease courtroom dismissed this partially as a result of he loves enjoying PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.

Launched in 2017, PUBG was one of many first and hottest battle royale shooters round. It nonetheless holds the file for many concurrent gamers on Steam at over 3 million. (Not even the latest mega-hit Palworld might high that quantity.) Whereas different video games—like Fortnite and Name of Obligation: Warzone—have usurped its standing as the highest battle royale title, it nonetheless frequently seems on Steam’s most-played video games record and nonetheless has a really massive group. That features one man in South Korea who trying to keep away from obligatory army service.

In November 2018, an unnamed South Korean man was charged with violating the nation’s Army Service Act, which compels all able-bodied males within the nation to serve within the army for at the least 18 months. As reported by The Korea Herald (and noticed by Gamesradar) the person initially advised the courtroom he refused to enlist based mostly on his private beliefs towards warfare.

Within the verdict handed down in 2018—and upheld by the Supreme Court docket on February 4—the courtroom stated the defendant had “not put any effort into spreading or realizing what he says is his ideological perception.” The courtroom additionally pointed to the person’s love of PUBG as additional proof he wasn’t towards warfare and violence.

“The defendant admitted that he incessantly loved enjoying the sport ‘Battlegrounds,’ which is about killing characters with weapons in a digital actuality,” the courtroom added, as reported by The Korea Herald. “The online game is completely different from actuality. However the truth that the defendant—who says he’s rejecting army service based mostly on his beliefs to oppose violence and warfare—enjoys such video games makes the courtroom query whether or not his conscientious objection is genuine.”

Based on investigators, he refused to affix the army as a result of “rampant unfair orders” and since it frequently disregards human rights. The courtroom disagreed and now the Supreme Court docket of Korea has confirmed the unique ruling. The defendant will now be pressured to serve 18 months in jail—the identical period of time he would have needed to serve within the army.

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