A story has been posted on an online bulletin board that a man who had brain tumor surgery had to work as a social worker after getting a grade 4 test in the military service physical examination.
The man posted his tumor diagnosis and wrote, "I was diagnosed with a brain tumor last year and had surgery, and now I am receiving outpatient treatment."
The post garnered thousands of comments and outrage.
I fact-checked whether I really had to do military service even after undergoing surgery to remove a brain tumor.
First, I sent a questionnaire to the Military Manpower Administration and asked if the above bulletin board was true.
The Military Manpower Administration responded, "It is difficult to verify the facts of the physical examination results of a specific person with personal information."
However, apart from the story of the man above, it seems important to cover the general physical examination judgment principle 'in case of brain tumor surgery'.
When asked about the principle of determination, the Military Manpower Administration wrote, "If a positive brain tumor requires or has undergone surgical treatment, it is determined as grade 4 if there is no neurological deficit. There are actual similar cases of determination."
Not everyone who has had brain tumor surgery is exempt from military service, and there are actually cases of military service.
That's true, I looked up the 'Test Rules for Military Service Judgment Physical Examination, etc.' and 'Military Service Physical Inspection Rules', which contain the criteria for classification of the body.
I looked up the examination rule neurosurgery.
Water supply standards are classified in detail according to various criteria such as the location of the tumor, its size, and the area of the defect if surgery was performed.
Levels 1 to 3 are 'active duty' going to the military, Level 4 is 'replenishment service' such as social service personnel, and Level 5 is 'wartime service' where military service is virtually exempted from service only in times of war.
Even with surgical treatment, grades are different depending on the tissue in the brain or the neurological disorder or defect.
For example, if there was a tumor in the soft tissue of the brain and received surgical treatment, but no neurological disorder occurred, according to the judgment of the conscripted examination doctor, he could receive a grade 3 diagnosis and serve in active duty.
The Military Manpower Administration explained, "In the case of a benign brain tumor, the clinical features such as treatment and prognosis required for each type are different, so we are subdividing the criteria for body grade after expert review."
In fact, while the team was covering a case of brain tumor surgery and serving in the military, they found a ruling.
It is a case in which a man who had undergone brain tumor surgery and was judged to be on active duty later found out that he was exempted and filed a lawsuit against the government while receiving discharge.
This man, who was a medical student, underwent brain tumor surgery in 2012 and was assigned a grade 4 replacement.
After that, he was commissioned as a lieutenant in 2015 and served as a medical officer.
The man filed a lawsuit saying, "The tumor was so serious that it spread to the meninges, and even had surgery, but the prosecutor decided that it was grade 4, so I had to serve in the military." The court acknowledged the state's mistake.
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The evaluation criteria applied by the doctor in charge of the draft examination is … … 'The case where osseointegration was not performed among the cases of craniotomy' corresponds to the 4th grade, and … … 'A benign tumor with mild cranial deformity' corresponds to grade 2, and if the examinee had a craniotomy after a tumor was found in the skull, it would be sufficient to apply each of the above provisions. . … … In the case of the plaintiff, the tumor initially developed in the skull, but had metastasized and penetrated to the meninges included in the central nervous system. As a result, the possibility of further metastasis of the tumor could not be ruled out. … It is illegal because the evaluation criteria were misinterpreted and the body grade 4th grade was judged.
- Seoul Central District Court 2017 Gahap 547468, 2018. 10. 19.
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However, if you read the ruling carefully, it is not that the state did the wrong thing for not exempting you from the military even after undergoing brain tumor surgery, but rather because the prosecutor misinterpreted the seriousness of the tumor.
In the judgment above, it is written that even if surgery has been performed, the standard level 4 can be applied.
It was interpreted that even in 2012, when examination rules were looser than now, military service after brain tumor surgery is possible.
In other words, even at that time, brain tumor surgery itself was not a reason for exemption from military service.
In fact, the team will judge the assertion that “even if you undergo brain tumor surgery, you cannot be exempted from the military,” since there is even a slight possibility of serving in active duty, it will be judged as 'half fact'.
However, in fact, I don't think the team is a matter of deciding whether it is true or not.
Anxiety is rooted in the emotions of the young people who see this issue in our community.
The most common response to the above story was "Is this me?"
Recently, the military has implemented a policy to expand the number of people eligible for active duty enlistment in consideration of the declining population due to the low birth rate.
A typical example was the relaxation of physical examination standards.
In February, the inspection rules were also revised.
The same is true for brain tumor standards, which are now being debated, for example. Originally, in the 'Central Nervous System Tumor' category, a grade 5 judgment was made if 'positive', but this revised rule has been changed to make a grade 4 judgment 'when there is no neurological deficit'. The Military Manpower Administration responded to the team's inquiry, saying, "This revision reflects the results of the expert's review in consideration of improving public awareness and developing the medical field."
If the physical fitness standards are relaxed, it can be thought that the risk of accidents increases for the soldiers who are scheduled to enlist naturally. The problem is that trust in the military medical system is low. Although medicine is advancing as explained by the Military Manpower Administration, soldiers still complain that they are not receiving proper treatment in a timely manner. We often hear news of lifelong disability or even death due to lack of proper treatment in the military. No matter how cured, there is no choice but to worry more if the problem area is the head.
In the end, the rebuttal that "even brain tumor surgery patients can join the military" or "there is no legal problem" is not really important.
Legally, it may be 'true', but such a rebuttal does not offset the anxiety of young people who are about to enlist.
Although we are not ignorant of the reality that the low birth rate and population decline are having a significant impact on the military, at least if the speed of improvement of the military medical system does not keep up with the physical examination standards, these issues will inevitably continue.
I would like the military authorities to pay attention to the emotions of young people behind the scenes rather than question the truth of the information floating around.
The SBS Fact-Eun team is aiming to go beyond simply judging facts and lies, and to fact-check the various layers of the world we live in.
I hope the viewers will do the same.
You can request a fact check verification by typing SBS facts on the Internet.
If you request it, we will fact-check it to the best of our ability.
(Interns: Song Hae-yeon, Kwon Min-sun)
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<References>
Military service decision, physical examination, etc. inspection rules
Seoul Central District Court 2017 GAAP 547468, 2018. 10. 19. Judgment
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Audit and Inspection, <Analysis of Low Fertility and Aging Countermeasures Performance Analysis> Audit Report, July 2021