[Defense Column] Security Perspective Matters More Than Matching Policies

Each past administration had its own policy brand. Examples include ‘New Korea Creation’ (Kim Young-sam), ‘Second Founding’ (Kim Dae-jung), ‘Government Innovation’ (Roh Moo-hyun), ‘Green Growth’ (Lee Myung-bak), ‘Creative Economy’ (Park Geun-hye), and ‘Income-led Growth’ (Moon Jae-in).

The Ministry of National Defense also changed its colors to match the government’s policy brands. When the Lee Myung-bak administration promoted ‘Low Carbon Green Growth,’ all units posted ‘Defense Green Growth’ posters. Military officers began commuting by bicycle. Commanders, including the minister, did the same. Instead of luxury sedans, they used vans. They competed to show their loyalty. Subordinate agencies were no exception. At the ‘Green Growth in Defense Symposium’ hosted by the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) at the time, Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee emphasized, “The products of green growth promoted nationwide must be effectively integrated into the defense-specific area of future combat power enhancement.” Park Chang-gyu, director of the ADD, added, “By combining core technologies developed in the civilian sector with system integration technologies in defense, and developing them into green growth technologies, we can achieve a ‘triple win’ effect across environmental, economic, and defense sectors.” However, defense green growth did not last long. When the administration changed, the term ‘green growth’ disappeared. All the policies that had been promoted stopped abruptly.

There was no change during the Park Geun-hye administration either. The Park administration promoted the ‘Creative Economy.’ In January 2015, the Ministry of National Defense reported to former President Park on its ‘Ministry of National Defense Work Plan,’ stating that a core task was to promote ‘Creative Defense.’ Every project included the word ‘creative.’ They even commissioned a research project to establish the concept of creative defense. In February of that year, the Ministry issued the ‘Creative Defense Promotion Guidelines,’ and from April, the Ministry’s Military Structure and Defense Operations Reform Office (hereafter Defense Reform Office) established a ‘Creative Defense Task Force.’ The Ministry also published a 122-page A4 booklet titled ‘Creative Defense: A New Path for Defense Development.’ They held a creative defense idea contest for the public. However, this too did not last long. After former President Park was impeached, the Ministry hurriedly erased traces of creative defense.

When the current administration took office, the Ministry of National Defense advocated for a strong military. The core of President Yoon Suk-yeol’s first work report was ‘Overcoming the severe security situation and fostering a science and technology-strong military.’ This was a measure anticipating increased provocations from North Korea, unlike during the Moon Jae-in administration. The Ministry stated that it would strengthen the overwhelming Korean-style ‘3-axis system’ capability in response to North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats. Then, Shin Won-sik, the second defense minister under the Yoon administration, introduced the term ‘Jikgangkkeut (Immediate, Strong, Until the End)’ right after taking office. It is a phrase summarizing the military response method to North Korea’s military provocations. Minister Shin used the ‘Jikgangkkeut’ slogan every time he visited field units. The slogan was included like a staple in the military leadership’s command guidelines. However, it seems likely to disappear soon. President Yoon has nominated Kim Yong-hyun, head of the Presidential Security Service, as the new defense minister. The confirmation hearing is scheduled for the 2nd of next month. The new minister may introduce another slogan.

It is not bad to pursue ‘matching’ policies that reflect the philosophy of the military commander-in-chief. Nor does it mean that defense policies tailored to that philosophy are wrong. However, what is more important than slogans visible on the surface is a security perspective that remains steady and unaffected by political changes in its proper position. Considering a series of incidents such as leaks of classified information from military intelligence agencies, one wonders if slogans that change with every administration have any real meaning.