War or Play? South Korean Activists Sue Over Military Weapon Displays

Translation result [Herald Economy — Reporter Moon Young-gyu] Civil society groups have filed a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission objecting to military base open-house events on the grounds that they infringe on children’s rights, and the military has launched a force-wide inquiry into open-day activities across all units, sources said.

On June 2, the group Mothers Who Do Politics said that, together with Gangjeong Daily Resistance Action and On the Margins, it filed a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission on May 7 naming the defense minister and the relevant base commanders. The complaint alleges that firearms demonstrations at base open days violate children’s human rights.

The groups cited a 2017 decision by the Human Rights Commission recommending that events involving firearms be excluded so they do not contradict the spirit and provisions of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, arguing that current practices amount to a clear breach of the convention. However, the commission dismissed a similar complaint nine years ago because it could not identify specific victims or concrete cases.

The organizations also described children’s military experience programs as war education disguised as play.

They also demanded that the Human Rights Commission ensure no children’s military activities took place at the May 9 ceremony marking the first anniversary of the Navy Mobile Fleet Command and the 10th anniversary of the completion of the Jeju naval base, and they launched a simultaneous boycott campaign.

In their appeal, the groups said, “Open-house events at the Jeju naval base expose civilians—especially children—to weapons of war. By offering uniform try-ons and hands-on military equipment demonstrations, these events normalize a war culture in ways that violate human rights and undermine educational aims. They teach children the falsehood that violence secures peace, justify interstate aggression, and instill a logic of power.”

They added, “Open-house events package war and violence as play and hands-on experiences, concealing the true nature of war and the horrific realities of the battlefield from children. As descendants of the Jeju April 3 (4.3) tragedy, it is natural for us to oppose war and massacre.”

The military has launched a force-wide survey to determine whether weapons-handling activities were offered during base open-house events.

Critics say the groups’ response is excessive.

Captain Kim Sang-ho, a former servicemember and YouTuber, called the complaint “absurd,” saying a group had accused base open-house events of constituting child abuse and demanded that the entire military hand over records of recent open-day activities. “The Human Rights Commission passed that request to the military, and now the military is investigating,” he said.

He said the inquiry is reviewing materials such as “the operation status of lethal-weapon handling demonstrations; plans for firearms, ammunition, and other weapons; invitation letters and attached notices; and event after-action reports,” and he asked rhetorically, “Does the military exist to preserve peace, or to wage war and invasion?”

He added, “Why was such a ridiculous complaint accepted, and why is the military investigating and briefing on it? I’m furious thinking about the soldiers who must prepare these materials. Please help spread the word.”