September 17- The NHRCK concluded that the requirement for an identification statement from every applicant for the ROTC is an act of human rights violation. Subsequently, the NHRCK recommended that the Ministry of Defense limit the requirement of an identification statement only to those accepted in accordance with the purpose of security regulations.
Mr. A filed a complaint in October 2008 with the NHCRK, stating, “The requirement that asks every applicant to submit an identification statement during the initial stage of the ROTC application process violates privacy.”
The NHRCK found out that the identification statement of the ROTC application requires the applicant to submit personal information such as height, weight, financial statements, community service experiences, resident registration numbers of family and relatives and educational background.
Given the work of the ROTC at the Army, there might be some needs to investigate personal backgrounds of its applicants. However, the Act on the Protection of Personal Information Maintained by Public Agencies stipulates that personal information collection should be carried out in an appropriate and proper manner with a clearly expressed purpose. Further, it also states that the information must not be used for any other purposes than its original purpose. In consideration of this act, the NHRCK concluded that collecting personal information during the initial application process was unnecessary.
Hence, the practice requiring every applicant to submit an identification statement to the Minister of Defense is a vestige of customary practices without any legal foundation.
