service,’ which was higher than the officers at 10.4%. Also, among the soldiers who experienced both civilian and military medical services, 46.2% of the soldiers411) and 40% of the officers responded that they were dissatisfied with military medical services, and the satisfaction rate was even lower in the experienced group where civilian and military medical services could be compared.412) The Ministry of National Defense has recently been making efforts to expand the “opportunities for the soldiers to receive treatment at civilian hospitals.” This can be clearly seen in the process of change in Article 6 of the ‘Military Patient Management Directives.’ The Ministry of National Defense amended this directive in 2016 to allow the servicemen to access civilian hospitals not only when “mental and physical disorders occur” but also when “medical care is needed” in general, and in 2019, the provisions of the directive, which can be interpreted as ‘priority to military medical institutions’413) for treatment, were revised to clarify that ‘receiving treatment at civilian hospitals’ is no longer an exception. However, according to survey conducted by the NHRCK in 2022 at the military units, the practice of having soldiers receive medical treatments at the military medical institutions if the senior officer determines the injury or illness to be not serious remains. Through a resolution on Dec. 22, the NHRCK recommended to the Minister of National Defense to reorganize the military medical system to expand the use of civilian hospitals, along with the military medical institutions, and to prepare a mid-to-long-term roadmap for this purpose. It was recommended to improve the system to ensure the servicemen’s access to medical care, including the establishment of a new statutory provision regarding the guarantee of servicemen’s right to choose medical treatment.414) 411) Regarding the level of medical service, the soldiers cited ‘insufficient treatment outcomes,’ ‘insincere or unkind medical staffs,’ and ‘long waiting times for reservations and treatment’ as major dissatisfaction factors. 412) Military Medical Service Status Survey (2020), Pg. 157, 222~223. 413) A rule that can be explained as ‘soldiers receive treatment at military medical institutions, as a rule. Occasionally, a soldier may be treated at a civilian hospital, but only as an exception.’ 414) NHRCK, Decided on Dec. 22, 2022, Recommendation to improve the military medical system to ensure the servicemen’s right to medical access. 176