After months of research, discussions and public hearings, South Korea's Ministry of National Defense has finalized its bill on for conscientious objectors, who refuse the nation's mandatory military service.
According to the defense ministry on Friday, conscientious objectors are to serve at facilities like prisons, for 36 months, starting from 2020.
The move comes as the Constitutional Court ruled in June this year that it is unconstitutional that the current military service act does not provide other ways for them to serve and ordered a revision of the law by the end of 2019.
South Korea's National Assembly passed a revision to the occupational safety and health act on Thursday during its final plenary session of 2018.
It means contractors will have to take measures to better ensure safety for irregular or contract workers and will ban the outsourcing of dangerous work.
In the case of an industrial accident – stronger penalties will be imposed – such as increased jail time of up to three years for the contractor.
The revision comes in the wake of an accident at a local power plant that claimed the life of a subcontractor -- after he was caught in a conveyor belt.
The specifics of the revised bill were subject to debate among the rival parties, however, the main opposition Liberty Korea Party made some concessions after the ruling Democratic Party accepted a demand of theirs.
That is to hold a meeting of the assembly's Steering Committee – to question key Cheong Wa Dae officials.
But no deal was reached over bills aimed at boosting transparency and rooting out accounting fraud at kindergartens.
They also passed over 80 bills, including one on giving child benefits to parents with children aged six or under -- regardless of their income.
Rival lawmakers also extended the terms of non-standing parliamentary committees that were set to expire this month.
In Thursday's plenary session, lawmakers passed a bill to help defectors from North Korea.
It will extend the deadline for them to apply for resettlement benefits when they arrive herefrom one year to three.
Those who did not come straight from North Korea but lived abroad for ten years or more will now be able for housing subsidies like other refugees.
The same will apply to those who missed the three-year window to apply.
The one-time cash paid to single refugees when they arrive will be raised from 6-thousand U.S. dollars to more than 7-thousand.
This year, as of November, the number of North Koreans who defected to South Korea was 1-thousand-and-42.
Source: Arirang News
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