Young Koreans head to military amid tensions

Seoul, South Korea (CNN) -- Weeks after North ugg bootsKorea's attack on Yeonpyeong Island, the mood is still tense on the streets of Seoul, especially following the largest cheap ugg bootsever winter live-fire drill and civil defense exercise.

This sense of apprehension was clear ugg booton university campuses, with many young men worried about the prospect of an outright war. That's because ugg classic tall many college students are due to start their military service after this semester and also because the two soldiers killed on Yeonpyeong Island last month were their age, ugg classic mini boots 585419 and 21.

"The two marines who died on Yeonpyeong were my age and I might be a victim, too. That makes me anxious.ugg bailey button boots 5803 My mom's worried these days," said Jaehwan Lee, a 19-year-old English literature major who is due to begin his military duty once the semester is over.

South Korea is technically still at ugg sundance II boots 5325war with its communist neighbor. The 1950-53 Korean War ended with a truce but no peace agreement was reached. Under South Korean law, able-bodied young men must ugg ultraserve for about two years in the country's 650,000-member military. It is seen as a key part of the nation's defense ugg ultra tall boots 5245against the communist North's 1.1 million troops across the border.

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Gallery: N. Korea: Life in a tinderbox I used to think military service was something all Korean men do,ugg metallic short boots 5842 not a big deal, but I think differently now. They're all someone's sons.

--Min-sun Lee, a mother
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Conscription is a sensitive social argyle knit issue in South Korea. Popular TV personalities have been removed from programs and politicians have lost elections when it was revealed that they or their sons evaded the duty through suspect measures.

Military records of public figures ugg argyle knit boots 5879are constantly under public scrutiny and much suspicion is aroused when seemingly healthy-looking celebrities end up not going, citing health reasons or if they are assigned to do civil service instead of regular combat duty.

South Korea offers no alternative service for conscientious objectors. They face an 18-month jail term,ugg nightfall boots 5359 followed by hefty fines. Seoul announced three years ago that it would bring in an alternative service for conscientious objectors in 2009 but scrapped the plan,ugg metallic short boots 5842 citing "negative public sentiments."

Human rights lawyer Oh Jaechang said conscientious objectors' refusal to participate in a military capacity poses ugg ultra short boots 5225 no threat to national security, due to their small numbers.

"Many of them suffer from generation to generation, since all the men in the family end up criminals in the ugg bailey button boots 5803eye of society," Oh said. "They suffer economically and socially."

Many of those now preparing to serve ugg classic mini boots 5854 are concerned about what may happen next on the peninsula. Tensions mounted between the Koreas on November 23, when North Korea shelled South Korea's Yeonpyeong Island. The attacked killed two marines and two civilians, ugg classic talland injured 18 people. North Korea had accused the South of provoking the attack because shells uggs on salefrom a South Korean military drill landed in disputed waters.

Tensions were already running high in the Korean peninsula after the March 26 sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan in the Yellow Sea that left 46 South Korean sailors dead.ugg classic tall An international investigation conducted by South Korean, U.S., Swedish, British and Australian ugg bailey button boots 5803officials blamed a North Korean torpedo for sinking the ship. North Korea has denied culpability.