The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) recommended that the Minister of the Ministry of National Defense and others prepare measures to guarantee the right to health of "meal minorities" among service members who cannot use standard mess meals because of vegetarian diets, food allergies, or religious beliefs.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said on the 22nd that it reached this conclusion after reviewing materials submitted by the Ministry of National Defense, the Military Manpower Administration, and each branch of the military from 2024 through Feb. of this year.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) recommended: ▲ clearly reflecting in the Ministry of National Defense meal policy and each branch's meal guidelines that protecting meal minorities is a basic duty of the military ▲ establishing necessary standards so that various substitute meal options such as substitute side dishes, substitute beverages, choice-based meals, and substitute desserts can be provided ▲ creating data-linkage standards so dietary information collected at the military service physical examination and enlistment screening stages can be used to provide actual meal support during service.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said, "Given that service members living on base find it difficult to freely choose meals or procure substitute meals from outside, military meals go beyond simple welfare or convenience and constitute a basic condition for maintaining health and performing duty stably."
It added, "In particular, service members with food allergies may face health risks from consuming specific ingredients or even from cross-contamination," and said, "For vegetarian service members or those who require religious meals, freedom of conscience and freedom of religion may be at issue."
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said, "Support for service members who are meal minorities is not an exceptional, individual request by a service member or a discretionary courtesy by each unit, but a basic rights protection task that the military must manage institutionally," and added, "Through this recommendation, we hope to establish an institutional foundation that allows meal-minority service members to disclose their dietary conditions without fear of disadvantage or stigma and to receive the necessary meal support in a stable manner."