[War & Business] The Origin of the Term 'Gomun-gwan'

July 1952, Award Ceremony of the US Military Advisory Group in Korea [Image Source=National Archives]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Among the slang commonly used in the military, there is a term called 'Gomun-gwan.' It refers to a person who is incompetent and clumsy at their assigned tasks. It is often mistakenly believed that the term comes from mentally torturing those around them, but in reality, it is known to have originated from the U.S. military advisors dispatched to Korea during the U.S. military government period.

'Military Consultant' refers to officers sent from Western countries to Asian or non-Western countries from the opening of ports in the 19th century until after World War II to assist in establishing armies, modern armaments, and military systems. In Korea, Russian military advisors were dispatched during the late Joseon period, and after liberation, U.S. military advisory groups were sent until the 1960s for education, training, and material support.

Despite being professionals in a highly specialized field, the reason they became a subject of military ridicule is that military advisors were mostly considered clumsy. Most of them came without any knowledge of Korea’s actual situation or even its location, so from the perspective of the officers at the time, they appeared naive. In particular, the advisors were very generous with material support and tended to overlook minor fraud and embezzlement rather than conducting thorough audits. This is said to have solidified the slang meaning of a clumsy person.

However, these advisors were not only like this in Korea. European and American military advisors dispatched throughout Asia, including China, Japan, and the Philippines since the 19th century, were generally generous with material support. They provided weapons, military supplies, daily necessities, and various construction equipment and facilities without hesitation.

At the time, their behavior seemed merely naive, but the reason for this generous support soon became clear. China, which had received German military support since the 1860s, used German weapons even during the wars with Japan in the 1930s and 1940s. Japan, which received British support during the Meiji Restoration, continuously purchased British weapons and warships and fought a war against Russia, which was 50 times larger than itself, in 1904, replacing Britain. This was because the weapons, military systems, and alliances used in the early stages of modern army establishment could not be easily changed. This is also why U.S. allies in Asia still find it difficult to find alternatives to U.S. weapons. Thus, the advisors were by no means naive.