The Current Act transfers the personnel, who are mariners or engineers under Article 4 (2) 1 and 2 of the Ship Personnel Act, and who are called for taking charge of work to transport goods essential for the national economy and military supplies as well as work related thereto in times of war, national crisis, or other similar emergencies in accordance with the Emergency Resources Management Act or the International Ship Registration Act to provide their service aboard a ship, as onboard ship reserve service and requires them to provide their service aboard a ship.

For the boarding service, however, it is difficult to manage the service because they often stay overseas for a long time, and it is difficult for them to raise a problem due to worries about employment after discharge even if human rights abuse occurs because they shall be working for a few shipping companies.

Therefore, the amendment aims to improve the protection of the onboard ship reserve servicemen’s rights by strengthening the regular investigation into the actual condition for shipping companies, etc., and onboard ship reserve service, such as increasing the number of regular investigations into the actual conditions from once a year to twice a year, evaluating the work of the shipping companies with onboard ship reserve service to limit the allocation of personnel to companies, and having onboard ship reserve servicemen submit commitments to fulfill the contracted working conditions (Article 23-5 and Article 23-6 newly inserted).

Shipping companies, etc., shall prepare a commitment to fulfill faithful service, contracted working conditions, etc., in accordance with the assigned onboard ship reserve service and the Ordinance of the Ministry of National Defense, and then submit it to the competent Regional Military Manpower Office (Article 23-6).