Korean Solidarity of Civilian Military Employees
South Korean advocacy group
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Korean Solidarity of Civilian Military Employees (KSCME; Korean: 전국군무원연대), commonly abbreviated in Korean as Jeongunyeon (전군연), is a South Korean advocacy organization for civilian military employees who work in the Republic of Korea Armed Forces. The organization was launched on 10 February 2025 at a press conference held with the Center for Military Human Rights Korea, the State Public Officials' Labor Union and the Korean Government Employees' Union.[1][3][4]
| Abbreviation | KSCME |
|---|---|
| Formation | 10 February 2025[1] |
| Type | Nonprofit organization |
| Purpose | Rights, working conditions and labour rights of civilian military employees in South Korea |
Region served | South Korea |
Representative | Son Dong-hwa[2] |
| Website | nmcws |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 전국군무원연대 |
| Hanja | 全國軍務員連帶 |
| RR | Jeonguk gunmuwon yeondae |
| MR | Chŏn'guk kunmuwŏn yŏndae |
| Short name | |
| Hangul | 전군연 |
| Hanja | 全軍連 |
| RR | Jeongunyeon |
| MR | Chŏn'gunyŏn |
The group campaigns for improved treatment, protection of status, the right to form or join workplace councils and trade unions, and changes to laws and regulations that it says treat civilian military employees like soldiers despite their civilian status.[5][4]
Background
Civilian military employees in South Korea are civilian personnel employed in military units and agencies. Under the Act on the Personnel Management of Civilian Military Employee, civilian personnel in the military service are classified into general civilian military employees and technical civilian military employees; general civilian military employees perform work in fields such as technology, research and general administration.[6]
The legal and practical status of civilian military employees has been a recurring issue in South Korea because they work inside the military organization but are not soldiers. Korean Solidarity of Civilian Military Employees argues that civilian military employees are excluded from labour-union and workplace-council systems available to other public officials, while also being subject to military discipline, military criminal law and service regulations.[5][4]
The organization traces its origins to activism around a 2023 National Assembly of the Republic of Korea public petition calling for legal amendments on the rights and treatment of civilian military employees. Founding materials stated that former and serving civilian military employees who had taken part in the petition movement joined with civil society and public-sector labour groups to create the organization in early 2025.[4]
Founding and objectives
Korean Solidarity of Civilian Military Employees held its founding press conference on 10 February 2025. Newsis reported that the group planned to collect complaints and opinions from civilian military employees in the field, respond to what it considered unfair work orders, and seek to expand into a workplace council or labour union in stages.[1] The Fact reported that the group was launched with the Center for Military Human Rights Korea, the State Public Officials Labor Union and the Korean Government Employees' Union.[3]
According to the Center for Military Human Rights Korea, a promoters' meeting was held on 22 January 2025, registration and establishment procedures were carried out on 3 February 2025, and the organization formally declared its launch on 10 February 2025.[4]
The organization's main demands include allowing civilian military employees to establish or join workplace councils and trade unions, excluding them from the application of the Framework Act on Military Status and Service, excluding them from the Military Criminal Act during peacetime, improving their treatment and status, and expanding their participation in defence-policy positions and decision-making.[4][7]
Activities
Public petition and signature campaign
Before the organization's formal establishment, civilian military employees and supporters pursued a National Assembly of the Republic of Korea public petition in 2023 seeking legal amendments on basic rights and working conditions. Later reports described the petition as having received more than 50,000 signatures and being referred to the National Assembly's National Defense Committee.[2]
In May 2026, the organization opened a public signature campaign calling for labour rights for civilian military employees. The campaign demanded amendments to the Act on the Establishment and Operation of Public Officials' Trade Unions, the Framework Act on Military Status and Service, the Military Criminal Act, and the Government Organization Act.[7]
ILO complaint
On 15 May 2026, Korean Solidarity of Civilian Military Employees announced that it planned to file a complaint with the International Labour Organization's Committee on Freedom of Association against the South Korean government, alleging violations of labour rights. Yonhap News Agency reported in English that the organization accused the government of restricting civilian military employees' right to unionize despite their civilian status.[5]
On 14 August 2026, the organization and other groups filed the complaint. It alleged that the government's refusal to recognize civilian military employees' freedom of association and right to collective bargaining violated ILO Conventions Nos. 87 and 98, and called for amendments to relevant laws and a review of the military trial of the organization's representative.[8] The filing cited alleged assignments of civilian military employees to shooting drills, cold-weather training and troop roll calls. It also alleged that, during a South Korea–United States joint exercise in March 2026, employees at a unit under the Army's First Logistics Support Command were required to wear helmets and full battle gear and assume a "covering fire" role.[8]
The organization argued that civilian military employees are special civil servants and labourers rather than soldiers, but are excluded from the law on public servants' trade unions and are subject to military laws and regulations, including fitness tests.[5] In response, the Ministry of National Defense (South Korea) said that civilian workers are restricted from labour-organization and union activities because they are members of the armed forces under the Framework Act on Military Status and Service. The ministry also said it had no plan to assign combat missions to civilian employees.[5]
Hair-length discipline cases
Korean Solidarity of Civilian Military Employees and the Center for Military Human Rights Korea raised objections to military-style hair regulations being applied to civilian military employees. In October 2025, the Center for Military Human Rights Korea said that a civilian military employee assigned to the Army Capital Corps had received a two-month salary reduction for not cutting his hair in the same manner as military personnel.[9]
MBC later reported that two Army civilian military employees had received two-month salary reductions for hair-related reasons. In April 2026, MBC reported that one case at the Army's 17th Infantry Division was reduced on appeal from a two-month salary reduction to a one-month salary reduction.[10] In May 2026, MBC reported that another case involving a Capital Corps employee was reduced to a reprimand on appeal.[11]
The organization argued that there was insufficient legal basis or justification for imposing the same hair standards on civilian military employees as on soldiers, and said it would consider administrative litigation and constitutional challenges concerning service regulations applied to civilian military employees.[11]
Counterintelligence investigation of representative Son Dong-hwa
In 2026, the Center for Military Human Rights Korea and public-sector labour organizations criticized the Defense Counterintelligence Command's investigation and the subsequent prosecution of Son Dong-hwa, representative of the Korean Solidarity of Civilian Military Employees. They alleged that the case was retaliatory and connected to his earlier campaign for better treatment of civilian military employees.[12][13]
According to MBC, Son had led the 2023 National Assembly public petition on basic rights and working conditions for civilian military employees. Following the investigation by the Defense Counterintelligence Command, military prosecutors indicted him under the Military Criminal Act in relation to alleged disclosure of internal documents concerning restrictions on iPhone use in military security areas, as well as alleged political involvement.[2]
On 16 May 2026, MBC reported that the 5th Air Mobility Wing of the Republic of Korea Air Force had convened a civilian-military-employee personnel committee to consider suspending Son from his position, but the proposal was rejected. MBC reported that the committee found little connection between the indictment and Son's duties, and found no problem with his performance of his work.[2]
Policy agreement
On 27 May 2025, the organization signed a policy agreement with the policy division of the Democratic Party of Korea's central election campaign committee ahead of the 21st South Korean presidential election. The Center for Military Human Rights Korea said the agreement concerned status protection, improvement of working conditions and better use of civilian military employees' expertise.[14]