South Korea to allow mixed-race soldiers

SEOUL, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- The South Korean government said Friday that young men of mixed race are entitled to join the military, though not subject to compulsory service.

The move comes amid a wave of national acclaim for Korean-American football player Hines Ward, receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who was voted Most Valuable Player in last Sunday's Super Bowl. Stories about him have featured in almost all South Korean media.

The success of Ward, son of an African-American GI father and a Korean mother, has highlighted the plight of mixed-race people in South Korea, The Korea Times reported.

The government said that a revision of the military conscription law passed by the National Assembly last June included the provision that mixed-race men born after 1986 could enter military service. The law previously banned men who "clearly appear of mixed racial background."

Physical examinations for new conscripts began Feb. 1, but Yang Chul-gyu of the Military Manpower Administration told reporters that there had been no mixed-race applicants.

All able-bodied, full-blooded Korean men aged 20 and over are required to serve in the military for 24 to 28 months. The army conscripts soldiers, while the navy and air force recruit applicants.