[Reporter’s Notebook] Kim Seung-gyeom, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Focused Only on Appearances

President Yoon Criticizes Defense Minister Lee Jongseop
But the Real Person to Blame Lies Elsewhere

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] On the 28th, President Yoon Seok-yeol received a report on the South Korean military's response to North Korean drones and is known to have strongly reprimanded Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop, saying, "What on earth have you been doing all this time?" He also expressed anger, saying, "You haven't even conducted proper training, so does that mean you haven't done anything at all?" However, the person who should actually be scolded by the military commander-in-chief is someone else. It is Kim Seung-gyeom, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who is the highest-ranking military officer.

Chairman Kim must have been in an awkward position as well. On the 16th, he visited the headquarters of the 5th Army Corps and air defense positions and instructed, "Maintain thorough readiness against enemy drone provocations," but just ten days later, a North Korean drone infiltrated the skies over Seoul. Was he embarrassed? Chairman Kim ordered a joint air defense exercise for the first time in five years. On the 29th, the Joint Chiefs of Staff distributed materials stating that the Ground Operations Command, Army Corps, Air Force Operations Command, and Army Aviation Command participated in training to respond to and annihilate small enemy drones.

However, a crucial fact was omitted. No live-fire exercises were conducted. The Joint Chiefs of Staff explained that the training was conducted only up to just before live firing. The reason the military is criticized regarding this drone incident is that despite firing over 100 live rounds, they failed to shoot down the drone. This is why the joint air defense exercise is criticized as a typical "show-off exercise." The military claimed that it was difficult to fire because there were civilian houses when the North Korean drone infiltrated. Since the joint air defense exercise was conducted at a military firing range, live firing should have been conducted. They needed to shoot down a simulated drone to reassure the public. That was the purpose of the training.

The Ministry of National Defense is no different. When announcing the "2023-2027 Defense Mid-term Plan," the Ministry heavily promoted that it would invest 560 billion won over five years to respond to drones. This includes a laser anti-aircraft weapon research and development project. This project is exactly the same as the alternative proposed in 2017 when North Korean drones were discovered, promising to accelerate the acquisition of additional reinforcement capabilities. At that time, they promised to early deploy new anti-aircraft guns and laser anti-aircraft weapons capable of shooting down small North Korean drones. In the end, these unkept promises are being presented as countermeasures five years later. The public is now worried about whom to trust and how to sleep peacefully.