Missile Command Involved in Another Drunk Driving Incident... How Far Will the Discipline Lapse Go?

Enlisted Soldiers Caught Drinking Followed by NCO Drunk Driving
Unauthorized Disposal of Military Secret Decryption Document 'Eum-eo-pyo'

There are serious concerns about the lax military discipline within the Army Missile Strategy Command. A non-commissioned officer was caught driving under the influence, and a security incident occurred involving the unauthorized disposal of military secrets. Considering that unauthorized drinking by soldiers was detected less than a month ago and North Korea has been launching missiles consecutively, there are calls for drastic measures.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to military officials on the 31st, Sergeant A, belonging to a subordinate unit of the Missile Strategy Command located in Wonju, Gangwon Province, was caught by the police on the 27th while driving his vehicle after drinking with acquaintances. On the 2nd, four soldiers were also caught drinking after leaving their duty station. At that time, the military announced that under the Missile Strategy Commander's orders, they would conduct an inspection and thoroughly diagnose the unit, but another drinking incident occurred in less than a month.

On the 2nd, Sergeant B from the same unit also disposed of the ‘eum-eo-pyo’ without authorization. The eum-eo-pyo is a communication cipher decryption document and is considered a military secret. Sergeant B disposed of this year’s eum-eo-pyo despite guidelines issued last year to dispose of the previous year’s documents. The Missile Strategy Command is regarded as a core unit within the Korean-style 3-axis system, possessing the Mass Punishment and Retaliation (KMPR) capability, making it one of the most critical units, and thus has been criticized for inadequate secrecy management.

A military official stated, “To establish military discipline, the command headquarters plans to inspect working conditions and take follow-up measures.”