Delaying the Disbandment Timing of the Army 8th Corps

On the 27th, a private in the 22nd Division was found dead by hanging.

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] As incidents of security failures such as 'swimming defection' have occurred repeatedly, the military has decided to delay the disbandment of the Army's 8th Corps and improve the 22nd Division's scientific surveillance system.

On the morning of the 15th, the Ministry of National Defense held the '2021 1st Quarter Defense Reform 2.0 Progress Review Meeting' chaired by Minister Seo Wook, where these details were reported.

This follow-up measure prepared by the military authorities after the North Korean male swimming defection incident includes improvements to surveillance equipment, unit structure reorganization, and troop expansion as follow-up actions for frontline units along the East Coast. The Ministry of National Defense decided to upgrade the 22nd Division's scientific surveillance system based on artificial intelligence (AI), starting a pilot project this year in the incident areas and expanding it to the entire division next year.

According to the detailed on-site unit diagnosis by the Defense Integrated Inspection Team conducted in early last month, frequent false alarms were identified due to the aging of the scientific surveillance system. The military authorities explained that the AI scientific surveillance system is a system that significantly reduces false alarms and improves surveillance accuracy through data analysis and learning.

The unit structure of the 22nd Division will also be reinforced. The 22nd Division is responsible for a wide area, including front-line and coastal surveillance, such as the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) Guard Posts (GP) and General Outposts (GOP). Accordingly, the disbandment of the 8th Corps Headquarters, originally scheduled for December this year, will be postponed to mid-2023, considering the completion of the 22nd Division's scientific surveillance system improvement work.

The disbandment of the 23rd Division within this year and the transfer of some responsibility areas to the 22nd Division will proceed as planned. As the 22nd Division's responsibility area expands, an additional battalion responsible for coastal surveillance will be organized under the 22nd Division and the newly established 23rd Security Brigade, reinforcing the force to a total of four battalion-sized units.

A Ministry of National Defense official stated, "With the expansion of the 22nd Division's responsibility area, the reserve battalion personnel will be increased from the current level of about 40 to approximately 500."

These follow-up measures will be finalized after deliberation and resolution at joint staff meetings and military meetings at the Ministry of National Defense and Joint Chiefs of Staff levels.

Additionally, the Army plans to establish a rapid response division and a mountain brigade this year to quickly respond to non-traditional threats and local provocations in rear areas and to perform multi-purpose missions across the Korean Peninsula in emergencies. The Navy is promoting unit reorganization to establish a maritime patrol aircraft battalion and a maritime operations helicopter battalion, and the Marine Corps is pushing for the establishment of units such as an aviation group. The Air Force is pursuing the establishment of units such as the Cheongung missile battalion and ballistic missile surveillance battalion to conduct efficient air defense operations and early warning missions.

Considering the COVID-19 situation, only Ministry of National Defense bureau and division chiefs attended the meeting in person, while key positions including the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Chiefs of Staff of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, and the Director of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, as well as various units and agencies, participated via video conference.