Joint Chiefs Chairman Admitting Operation Failure: "Disciplinary Action Will Be Carefully Considered"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Kim Seung-gyeom, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated regarding the disciplinary action for the North Korean drone failure, "We will carefully review based on the inspection results and take necessary measures."

On the 26th, Chairman Kim responded this way to a question about whether those responsible would be punished according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff's wartime readiness inspection results during a briefing on North Korean drone response issues at the National Assembly's National Defense Committee.

Im Byung-heon, a member of the People Power Party, said that day, "If there is a clear fault, punishment is necessary, but punishment is not the ultimate solution," and pointed out, "If soldiers are punished based on operational outcomes, they lose confidence and morale and cannot act on their convictions."

In response, Chairman Kim said, "As you mentioned, we will make a comprehensive judgment," and Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop said, "(The Joint Chiefs of Staff) reported the wartime readiness inspection results to the Ministry of National Defense regarding disciplinary action," adding, "Since we need to consider what the assembly member said, we will make a more careful judgment and reach a conclusion."

Some argue that disciplinary action is inevitable given the many problems in our military's response posture. The military mobilized fighter jets, attack helicopters, and light attack aircraft, firing about 100 rounds from the helicopter's 20mm cannon in an attempt to shoot down the drone but failed. This was just 10 days after Chairman Kim Seung-gyeom visited the air defense position of the 3rd Infantry Division in northern Gyeonggi Province on the 16th to emphasize drone air defense readiness.

Minister Lee evaluated the success or failure of the North Korean drone response operation, saying, "There has been progress in detection and tracking compared to the past, but there are confirmed issues in various aspects regarding the failure to shoot down the drone," and emphasized, "We will promptly supplement these and improve the completeness of our readiness posture going forward."

The Joint Chiefs of Staff's report to the National Assembly that day listed shortcomings in the military's response process but did not mention any plans for disciplinary action or punishment.

Seol Hoon, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, criticized, "No one is taking responsibility for this situation," and said, "A characteristic of this government is that no one is held accountable whenever something happens; it is truly irresponsible."