The Supreme Courtroom 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 navy service. He had argued he was a conscientious objector, however a decrease court docket 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 may prime 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 often seems on Steam’s most-played video games listing and nonetheless has a really giant group. That features one man in South Korea who trying to keep away from obligatory navy 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 navy for a minimum of 18 months. As reported by The Korea Herald (and noticed by Gamesradar) the person initially instructed the court docket he refused to enlist based mostly on his private beliefs in opposition to struggle.
Within the verdict handed down in 2018—and upheld by the Supreme Courtroom on February 4—the court docket mentioned the defendant had “not put any effort into spreading or realizing what he says is his ideological perception.” The court docket additionally pointed to the person’s love of PUBG as additional proof he wasn’t in opposition to struggle and violence.
“The defendant admitted that he ceaselessly loved enjoying the sport ‘Battlegrounds,’ which is about killing characters with weapons in a digital actuality,” the court docket added, as reported by The Korea Herald. “The online game is totally different from actuality. However the truth that the defendant—who says he’s rejecting navy service based mostly on his beliefs to oppose violence and struggle—enjoys such video games makes the court docket query whether or not his conscientious objection is genuine.”
In response to investigators, he refused to affix the navy as a result of “rampant unfair orders” and since it often disregards human rights. The court docket disagreed and now the Supreme Courtroom 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 navy.
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