The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a case questioning the constitutionality of South Korea's mandatory military service, upholding a lower court's decision to sentence a conscientious objector to an 18-month prison term. In its ruling, the Court said that an individual's right to freedom of religion and conscience cannot supercede compulsory military service, as the military duty is ultimately aimed at protecting the people's constitutional rights. The ruling reflects the Court's recent decision in a similar case in which another conscientious objector was sentenced to 18 months in jail for refusing to serve in the military due to religious reason. The Supreme Court's ruling comes before the Constitutional Court's own decision on the controversial military service law.