[2022 National Audit] Ruling and Opposition Clash Over Missile Misfire Accident at Joint Chiefs of Staff Audit

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] At the National Assembly National Defense Committee's audit of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on the 6th, ruling and opposition party lawmakers clashed over the Hyunmoo-2C missile misfire accident and the disclosure of data on the shooting of a civil servant in the West Sea.

People Power Party lawmakers blamed the 9·19 military agreement for the misfire accident and the resulting public anxiety, holding the Moon Jae-in administration responsible, while Democratic Party lawmakers criticized the military's incompetence in responding after the misfire accident.

Shin Won-sik, a People Power Party lawmaker, pointed out, "The Hyunmoo-2C misfire almost caused significant damage in the Gangneung area," adding, "Basically, there used to be a safe firing range called Machajin with no risk, but it was forcibly closed by an over-interpretation of the 9·19 agreement." He argued, "The 9·19 military agreement itself ties our military's hands, but Machajin could have been used operationally. Why was it moved, making us tremble in fear? The Moon Jae-in administration pushed this through."

Seong Il-jong, from the same party, questioned whether the Gangneung firing range would be maintained. In response, Kim Seung-gyeom, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said, "This can be seen as linked to the 9·19 military agreement. We will monitor North Korea's compliance with the 9·19 military agreement according to the level of North Korean provocations and consider appropriate countermeasures."

Kim Byung-joo, a Democratic Party lawmaker, criticized, "The ground-to-ground missile launch was a complete failure," adding, "Hyunmoo fell over the heads of the people, and worse than that was the delayed and downplayed response." Kim Young-bae, also from the same party, questioned, "If the Joint Chiefs of Staff did not know whether the serious situation was reported to the president and if there were no instructions from the president, isn't that a security gap?"

Kim questioned whether the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Ministry of National Defense were promptly informed at the scene immediately after the misfire accident. In response, Kang Shin-cheol, Chief of Operations at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, replied that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was informed at 11:17 p.m. on the 4th, and Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop was informed at 11:27 p.m. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff did not communicate with the National Security Office chief of the Presidential Office at the time of the accident.

The ruling and opposition parties also showed contrasting views on the security situation.

Han Ki-ho, a People Power Party lawmaker, said, "What North Korea hates and fears the most is joint operations under the ROK-U.S. alliance," and raised his voice, saying, "The transition of wartime operational control, including the dissolution of the Combined Forces Command, should be stopped and nullified now."

Kim Young-bae argued, "The leaders of the U.S. and Japan had an emergency call on the 4th, and ROK-U.S.-Japan drills are being discussed again, but there is no news of a call between the ROK and U.S. presidents," adding, "In this urgent situation surrounding the Korean Peninsula, our president is being bypassed."

The ruling and opposition parties also engaged in a confrontation over the disclosure of the National Defense Committee minutes from the time of the West Sea civil servant shooting incident. Bae Jin-kyo of the Justice Party and other opposition lawmakers demanded the release of the 2020 closed National Defense Committee minutes to accurately inform the public of the truth about the West Sea civil servant shooting incident. Shin Won-sik opposed this, saying, "At that time, SI (Special Handling Information) was not disclosed considering national interests."