‘군사재판을 받지 않을 권리'에 관한 소고 (A Study on the Right Not to be Tried by the Military Court)

서지정보

· 발행기관 : 한국공법학회
· 수록지 정보 : 공법연구 / 37권 / 4호 / 193 ~ 227페이지
· 저자명 : 송기춘

초록

헌법 제27조 제2항은 ‘군사법원에 의한 재판을 받지 않을 권리’를 규정한 것이라고 평가된다. 군사재판은 군사적 명령․복종관계에서의 발생하는 범죄에 대한 처벌을 목적으로 하는 특별법원이므로 일반국민은 군사법원의 재판을 받지 않는 것은 당연한 원칙이다. 그러나 우리 헌법에서의 일반국민에 대한 군사재판의 범위는, 다른 국가와 비교할 때 전세계적으로 가장 넓게 인정되고 있다. 또한 이 조항의 연혁을 살펴봐도, 1962년 헌법에 처음 관련조항이 규정된 이래 1972년, 1980년 및 1987년 헌법개정에서도 군사법원의 일반국민에 대한 재판관할권은 지속적으로 확장되어 온 것을 볼 수 있다.
이 조항은 겉으로는 일반국민이 군사재판을 받지 않을 권리를 규정한 것으로 볼 수 있지만, 세계에서 가장 넓게 관할권을 인정하고 있고 헌법개정과정에서도 그 범위가 지속적으로 확장되어 왔다는 점에서 실제에서는 군사법원이 일반국민을 재판할 근거규정을 확보하기 위한 것이라고 보는 것이 타당하다.
비상계엄시에도 법원이 정상적으로 작동하고 있을 경우에는 군사법원에 의한 재판이 인정되어서는 안 되며, 일반법원이 잘 조직되어 있는 현실에서 일반국민에 대한 군사재판은 인정되지 않는 것이 당연하다. 결론적으로 군사법원에 의한 재판을 정당화하고 있는 제27조 제2항은 헌법개정시 폐지하는 것이 바람직하다.

영어초록

Article 29, Section 2 of Korean Constitution provides that “[c]itizens who are not on active military service or employees of the military forces shall not be tried by a court martial within the territory of the Republic of Korea, except in case of crimes as prescribed by Act involving important classified military information, sentinels, sentry posts, the supply of harmful food and beverages, prisoners of war and military articles and facilities and in the case of the proclamation of extraordinary martial law.” This Article has been praised in that it provides this constitutional right because there had been so many illegal and unreasonable military court-martial cases after the establishment of Korean Government, but it has also justified military trial of civilians for offenses that are usually within the jurisdiction of ordinary courts in other states.
Even before the first provision in the Korean Constitution of 1962, the sphere of the military courts' jurisdiction was narrower, because only spying to supply military information and aiding the enemy were punished by the National Defense and Guard Act. The sphere became broader and broader as the Korean Constitution was revised in 1972, 1980 and 1987.
There is no other country in which a military court tries civilian criminals for offenses against the military, such as the crimes relating to classified military information, sentinels, sentry posts, the supply of harmful food and beverages, prisoners of war and military articles and facilities. Research disclosed some countries in which military courts try civilians for crimes relating to the national defense or public order, such as the possession of prohibited bombs and ammunition in Uganda, the crime against the national security in Morocco or the crime relating to military facilities in France. The jurisdiction of the military court in Korea is the broadest one in the world.
The Article provides for military trials during the proclamation of extraordinary martial law. A logical reason for this is that martial law is proclaimed when the ordinary judicial system is in disorder. But in Korean modern history martial law was proclaimed often without any disorder in governmental administration and the judiciary because the governors wanted military rule for their regime's sake, taking advantage of the ability to proclaim martial law. Considering this history, military trials for civilians should be restricted strictly to when the ordinary courts are in disorder, even during periods of extraordinary martial law.
The Article should be repealed because of the following reasons. First, as a matter of general principle, military trials are for members and employees of the military, those who are in military discipline, not for the civilian population, who are subject to the laws and courts of the civil government. Second, in consideration of the possibility of abuse shown in Korean history, when the non-military judicial system is functioning ordinarily, civilians should be tried by the civilian courts even during periods of martial law. Third, when compared with the laws of other countries, this provision relating to military court jurisdiction is the broadest in the world.

참고자료

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