South Korean Supreme Court OKs Religious Objection To Military Service

South Korea's top court just ruled that men are allowed to avoid the country's mandatory military service for religious or moral reasons.

South Korea requires all men to serve in its military for at least 21 months. But according to Amnesty International, the country imprisons hundreds of men every year who refuse to serve.

Those men, called conscientious objectors, often get an 18-month prison sentence. On Thursday, South Korea's Supreme Court ruled that their reasoning is "just cause" not to serve and they can't be criminally punished. 

This decision will affect hundreds of pending cases, many of whom are Jehovah's Witnesses.