[Defense Brief]Solid Security Makes Dialogue Possible

Minister Ahn Kyu-baek, who has taken office as the first civilian Minister of National Defense in 64 years, emphasized the morale of the armed forces in his inauguration speech. Minister Ahn pledged, "We will overcome the wounds of the past and restore the honor of the uniform," and vowed, "We will be reborn as the military of the people."

There is good reason for this. Because of the martial law, the way the public looks at the military has changed. From the perspective of citizens who have spent over 40 years overcoming the trauma of military rule, the military's re-entry into politics felt like overturning the entire history of democratization. Service members inevitably have to be wary of such public opinion. Even when they went out for training to protect the people or to maintain readiness against North Korea, they shrank back. Officers changed into civilian clothes instead of wearing their uniforms when leaving work. The sight of officers proudly going home in uniform has disappeared.

The aftereffects remain this year as well. The generals who used to give them orders have been stepping down one after another. A total of 14 generals have been dismissed or removed from their posts as disciplinary action due to the December 3 Martial Law incident. The total number of stars taken off their epaulettes reaches 31. The disciplinary process is not over yet. Joo Sung-woon, Commander of the Ground Operations Command, and Kang Dong-gil, Chief of Naval Operations, both of whom were promoted to four-star generals under the Lee Jaemyung administration, are under investigation.

Commander Joo, who was the commander of the 1st Corps at the time of the martial law, has been referred for investigation due to suspicions related to the martial law. It has been confirmed that during the state of emergency martial law, Admiral Kang, then Director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Military Support Headquarters, was in effect involved in the formation of the Martial Law Command. However, no investigation has been requested for Admiral Kang. The Ministry of National Defense appears to be trying hard to shield him, saying that he has actively cooperated with related testimonies and requests for materials. Nevertheless, as four-star generals fell one after another like collapsing cliffs, the morale of the troops faltered. Within the military, there is growing discontent that, if they were going to promote officers to general and then force them out, they should instead have delayed promotions, carefully distinguished between the worthy and unworthy, and solidified the chain of command.

Even the justification for training is on the verge of disappearing. The government has brought out the card of restoring the September 19 Military Agreement. Citing the recent incident of a civilian unmanned aerial vehicle infiltrating North Korea and the unmanned aerial vehicle operations against the North during the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, it is focusing on restoring the no-fly zones. Once no-fly zones are established, unmanned aerial vehicles at corps level and below cannot be flown. The military must also simply watch as North Korea deploys its super-large multiple rocket launcher "KN-25" to the front line and signals surprise, large-scale concentrated attacks. South Korea will have to rely on U.S. intelligence assets, but the extent of cooperation remains uncertain.

Live-fire training is also in jeopardy. There are numerous domestic firing ranges restricted by the September 19 Inter-Korean Military Agreement, including the Story Firing Range in Paju, Gyeonggi Province; the Cheonmiri Firing Range in Yanggu County, Gangwon Province; the Jeokgeori Firing Range in Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi Province; the Chilseong Firing Range in Hwacheon County, Gangwon Province; and the Songjiho Firing Range (Goseong Firing Range) in Goseong County, Gangwon Province. These are all located within 5 kilometers of the ground Military Demarcation Line (MDL). The Songjiho Firing Range on the East Coast is no exception. The maximum range of the Songjiho Firing Range is 80 kilometers. It is the only training ground where the 230-millimeter-class next-generation multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) Cheonmu can be fired in live training. In 2016 and 2022, the military even released live-fire training at the Songjiho Firing Range to the public in order to deter North Korean provocations.

It is only natural to identify and hold accountable the key officers who participated in the martial law. However, that arrow must not make the 500,000 non-martial-law troops, who constitute the overwhelming majority of our armed forces, hesitate to carry out their normal duties. Distrust of the military leadership leads to a weakening of the command structure across the entire armed forces. Minister Ahn must not forget the pledge he made at his inauguration to boost military morale. When the government is pressing for dialogue with North Korea, the Ministry of National Defense must serve as a pillar that keeps its place. Only with strong security is dialogue possible.