The Ministry of National Defense on Monday announced a judicial reform plan focused on abolishing the military appellate court and the guardhouse system.

"The government has devised the military judicial reform plan with an aim to accommodate growing calls for innovation and to substantially guarantee conscripts' constitutional rights and human rights," the ministry said, adding the plan will be put into action as part of its wider military reform scheme.

Under the plan, the Seoul High Court will substitute for the High Court for Armed Forces as the appellate court dealing with legal cases involving the military. The decision was made in reaction to the National Assembly and civic groups' criticism that the military appellate court often ruled in favor of the military establishment.

But the authority to bring a case to the appellate court will remain with the military prosecution, according to the ministry.