Ministry of National Defense Loses Trust Over Martial Law... No Message to North Korea [Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club]

Kim Seon-ho Acting Officer's New Year's Message Contains Only Encouragement for Soldiers
Repeated Duty Suspensions and Dismissals Make Patchwork Command Inevitable

The Ministry of National Defense, at the center of the illegal martial law incident on December 3, is being evaluated as having lost its direction. Unlike previous years when it issued strong messages toward North Korea at the beginning of the year, the excessive enforcement of martial law has led to a decline in public trust in the military, raising concerns that it is struggling to maintain its footing.

Ministry of National Defense, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung

According to military officials on the 2nd, Kim Seon-ho, Acting Minister of National Defense (Vice Minister), began the official New Year schedule the day before with a visit to the National Cemetery and the Marine Corps 2nd Division in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, without delivering a separate New Year's address. It was also reported that he only attended the government-level opening ceremony and decided not to hold a Ministry of National Defense-specific ceremony.

Vice Minister Kim limited his communication to a message of encouragement to the troops via the internal military network. In his message, he said, “I extend my infinite trust and gratitude to all of you who are quietly fulfilling your duties across the front and rear lines and overseas deployment sites,” adding, “All military leadership, including myself, will work together with you to build a new military, a growing military, and a military trusted by the people.” He further expressed, “Once again, I convey my gratitude for the hard work of all service members and defense families, and wish for the endless development and success of all units and institutions.”

Notably absent from Vice Minister Kim’s New Year message was any mention of readiness against North Korea, considering the division of the Korean Peninsula. This marks a clear departure from previous Defense Ministers’ messages. In his 2023 New Year’s address, former Minister Lee Jong-seop emphasized, “If you want peace, prepare for war,” and stressed that “only overwhelming and superior power can secure peace.” The following year, former Minister Shin Won-sik (currently Director of the National Security Office) delivered a strong message toward North Korea, stating, “The provocative acts of North Korea threatening the Republic of Korea must be deeply felt as a prelude to destruction.”

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Kim Myung-soo emphasized readiness through operational unit and command communications, but his efforts are seen as insufficient. Chairman Kim stated, “We must deter enemy threats with flawless operational readiness and respond strongly to provocations so that the enemy regrets their actions.”

However, as key generals involved in the ‘December 3 Emergency Martial Law’ have been successively suspended from duty and are undergoing removal procedures, a patchwork military command structure has become inevitable in key positions. The opposition party is demanding that even some generals who were only questioned as witnesses in their capacity as martial law command officials be excluded from duty, suggesting that the number of suspended personnel may increase. Despite this patchwork command system, further personnel changes seem unlikely for the time being, as it is difficult to carry out general officer appointments while both the President and Prime Minister have been impeached in succession.

A military official said, “Even after the inauguration of the U.S. President this month, the U.S.-South Korea alliance must be maintained with the military leadership at its core, but everyone is currently weakened.”