Vice Minister of Defense Visits Yeonpyeong Unit for Service Conditions Meeting, Pledges "Fundamental Reform"

The Vice Minister of National Defense visited the Yeonpyeong Marine Corps unit, located at the westernmost front line, and pledged to develop fundamental reforms for the military's personnel and welfare systems.

On September 23, the Ministry of National Defense announced that Vice Minister Lee Doohee visited the Yeonpyeong Marine Corps unit and held an on-site discussion to improve the officer support rate and working conditions. This visit follows his earlier visit on September 5 to the Army Capital Mechanized Infantry Division and the 3rd Infantry Division, making it his second on-site activity related to improving service conditions.

This meeting was organized to directly hear about the difficulties faced by junior and mid-level officers, who are considered the backbone of the military, and to identify practical needs for policy improvements. Officials from the personnel, welfare, budget, and facilities divisions of the Ministry of National Defense accompanied the visit.

Before the discussion, Vice Minister Lee expressed his gratitude, saying, "I deeply appreciate the dedication of Marine Corps officers who defend the Northern Limit Line (NLL) with their lives at the westernmost front line," and added, "Your honest voices are the most powerful force for changing policy." He continued, "We will make every effort to develop practical measures so that officers can take pride in wearing their uniforms and devote themselves to their duties based on a stable family life."

During the meeting, officers candidly shared the real difficulties they face in service and suggested possible solutions. In-depth discussions were held on various opinions, including the need to adjust various allowances to reflect the unique challenges of serving on islands, and the implementation of a 'military town' policy to address the severe lack of educational, medical, and cultural facilities in these areas.

Vice Minister Lee stated, "I take the issues raised today very seriously, and I will distinguish between those that the Ministry of National Defense can address immediately and those that require coordination with other government agencies, in order to achieve real change." He added, "I will consider not only short-term measures but also fundamental reforms to the military's personnel and welfare systems from a long-term perspective."

Going forward, the Ministry of National Defense plans to proactively promote policy improvements that officers can tangibly experience, based on the results of this on-site communication. The Ministry stated, "Following the Army, we will comprehensively analyze the opinions of Marine Corps officers as well, and closely coordinate with relevant agencies to ensure improvements are made to a satisfactory level."