"Armed Soldiers Appeared" Surprise Report... Reservist Incident After 4 Years

Training in a Long Time with Unfamiliar Scenery
"The Same Training Was Conducted Before COVID-19"

A commotion occurred when a citizen, startled by reservists carrying guns while walking around downtown Seoul for training, reported to 112, prompting a police dispatch.

According to the police on the 20th, at around 2:10 p.m. that day, the Yeongdeungpo Central Police Substation received a report stating, "A soldier carrying a firearm is wandering the streets."

When the police arrived at the scene and confirmed, they found that these were reservists undergoing operational plan training at the nearby Yeongdeungpo-dong Community Center.

The reservist unit explained that the incident occurred due to a misunderstanding caused by an internal directive to "always carry firearms as if it were a real situation."

The unit had been providing lunch to the reservists through a restaurant located outside the training ground. As a result, reservists who had finished their morning training were seen carrying firearms while going to and from the restaurant, which was witnessed by citizens and caused the commotion.

Reservists Conduct Training After a Long Time... Citizens Surprised by the Unfamiliar Sight

A scene of reservist training. The photo is not directly related to the article content. [Photo by Yonhap News]

On-site reservist training is being conducted for the first time in four years since the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is presumed that citizens, unfamiliar with the reservists due to the long hiatus, did not recognize them and were startled to see armed soldiers appearing on the streets.

A unit official explained, "We judged that it was appropriate to carry firearms anytime and anywhere if it were a real situation, so the reservists were instructed to carry firearms and had meals at the designated restaurant under the guidance of their leader."

He added, "We understand that even before COVID-19, they had meals while carrying firearms during training. Since this is the first training in four years, citizens seemed somewhat unfamiliar with the sight."

Meanwhile, on the 2nd, the Military Manpower Administration announced that from this year, reservists designated as subjects for troop mobilization summons will be able to perform wartime missions in emergencies such as wartime, and that troop mobilization training summons will be operated normally.