A councilor in Greater Taichung asked the Ministry of National Defense to review military service regulations on height requirements to enable men less than 1.58m tall to serve in the armed forces.
Councilor Wu Min-ji (吳敏濟) spoke on behalf of Huang Wei-hao (黃偉豪), a senior from the Chung Chou University of Science and Technology, who was rejected by the ministry when he reported for mandatory military service because of his short stature.
Huang, who is 2cm short of the minimum height requirement for military service, was also declared unqualified for alternative service, which was a big disappointment both to him and his family.
Huang said he is intelligent, in good health, and wishes to serve his country.
Citing the height requirement of 1.42m in North Korea’s military, Huang’s parents said they disagreed with Taiwan’s relatively “high” standard.
Compared with the many young Taiwanese who try to dodge military service, Wu said he was touched by Huang’s desire to serve the nation and urged the ministry to give the young man a chance to enlist.
As Taiwan prepares to switch from conscription to an all--volunteer military force, it should follow the example of other countries’ and relax its height regulations to help fulfill the wishes of those who want to serve, he said.
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