Unpaid Travel Expenses for Voluntarily Enlisted Social Service Workers with Foreign Permanent Residency — “They Should be Paid the Same as Cons”

- ACRC expressed its opinion that “Both cons and social service workers with foreign permanent residency should be provided with travel expenses when they complete their military service and return home.”

(April 24, 2024, ACRC)

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC, Chairperson Ryu Chul Whan) interpreted that travel expenses should be provided to social service workers who voluntarily enlisted and fulfilled their national defense duty, ensuring that they can return to their families.

ACRC expressed its opinion that the Military Manpower Administration should improve its relevant system to provide travel expenses to voluntarily enlisted social service workers with foreign permanent residency upon their completion of duties, as it does for cons with foreign permanent residency.

Person A’s two sons are both green card holders in the US. The eldest son voluntarily enlisted through the “Voluntary Enlistment by Permanent Residents *” and served as an active-duty soldier. He received support for his return flight ticket and returned to his family. The second son also applied for voluntary enlistment and was classified as a 4th-grade supplementary service personnel and served as a social service worker.

*Individuals who wish to voluntarily enlist themselves, including those who have moved and been residing overseas for three years or more and overseas Koreans who are living abroad with their parents

Person A believed that his second son would also receive travel expenses after fulfilling his military service just like the eldest son. However, Person A was informed that social service personnel are not eligible for travel expenses, which Person A considered unfair, and filed a grievance complaint to ACRC.

According to the Instructions on Payment of Vacation Allowance during the Military Service and Traveling Expenses after Completing the Military Service for People with Foreign Permanent Residency of the Ministry of National Defense, if naturalized citizens or people with foreign permanent residency who voluntarily enlisted as a con wish to depart for their country of citizenship or permanent residency, they can receive expenses for a one-way ticket for up to three times during regular military leaves and one time upon their completion of military service.

However, in the case of social service workers, the government agency in charge is different, which is why they cannot apply the aforementioned instruction and can receive round-trip tickets only when they visit the relevant country to maintain their stay in order to prevent their permanent residency from expiring due to their military service in accordance with the Regulations on Payment of Airfare for Social Service Personnel, including Persons with Foreign Permanent Residency of the Military Manpower Administration.

ACRC considered that social service workers are also military personnel resources for national security, and they perform their public duties in various public areas, such as welfare, health, education, and safety, to fulfill their military service obligations imposed by the country. The Commission determined that their commitments to military service are not different than those of other voluntarily enlisted soldiers.

Therefore, ACRC expressed its opinion that social service workers with foreign permanent residencies who live alone in Korea away from their families should be provided with travel expenses when returning to their families after completing their military service. The Commission recommended improvements of relevant regulations to provide airfare for their return ticket to home upon their completion of military service, just like cons.

ACRC Vice Chairperson Kim Tae Gyu emphasized by saying, “All people with foreign permanent residencies who faithfully served their military service voluntarily should be provided with active support by the country.”