Opposition seeks probe into unloaded-weapon guard duty at frontline corps
Version 2: The opposition People Power Party floor leader publicly demanded a parliamentary investigation and a special counsel after a Defence Ministry audit found unloaded-weapon guard duty in all frontline corps, and new reporting said the 5th Corps revised its own guidelines and was excluded from the planned warnings.
In short
South Korea's Defence Ministry found that frontline Army units stood guard with weapons not loaded with live ammunition, and local reports on 5 October said the practice extended beyond the 1st Corps to other frontline corps. The ministry plans institutional warnings for the 1st and 2nd Corps, the 22nd Division and the Ground Operations Command, plus an improvement measure for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and will not seek discipline against individuals. On 6 October, People Power Party floor leader Jung Jeom-sik said a ministry audit confirmed cases in all frontline corps while the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Ground Operations Command said they did not know, and demanded a parliamentary investigation and a special counsel.
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South Korea's Defence Ministry found that frontline Army units stood guard with weapons not loaded with live ammunition, and local reports on 5 October said the practice extended beyond the 1st Corps to other frontline corps, from Ganghwa Island to the east coast. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
The Maeil Business newspaper reported that the ministry's inspection, launched after the 1st Corps controversy, found numerous similar cases in other frontline corps, and that the ministry planned institutional warnings. A ministry official told Yonhap News that “as of the time of the inspection, some units were operating some weapons in a carried (not-loaded) state without revision of the guidelines or related official documents”. [ 2 ]
According to the military and the office of Rep. Kang Sun-young of the People Power Party on the National Assembly's defence committee, cases of personal and crew-served weapons not loaded with live ammunition were found in the 2nd, 3rd and 5th Corps, which man guard duty at frontline guard posts (GP) and general outposts (GOP), and the Marine Corps 2nd Division, which handles coastal and river guard duty in the capital region. Asia Economy reported that the 5th Corps was found to have unloaded cases but was excluded from the warning list because it revised its own guidelines under the corps commander's direction. [ 2 , 4 ]
The ministry decided to issue institutional warnings to the 1st and 2nd Corps, the 22nd Division under the 3rd Corps and the Ground Operations Command, the superior unit of the frontline corps, and an improvement measure for the Joint Chiefs of Staff to supplement its working system. It will not seek discipline against individuals including 1st Corps commander Han Ki-sung, who had been excluded from duty amid the controversy. The ministry official said the period when the ammunition-carrying method was applied differently cannot be precisely confirmed and that many people were involved per unit, so the case would be handled through institutional warnings. [ 2 , 4 , 5 ]
On 6 October, People Power Party floor leader Jung Jeom-sik said at a party meeting that a Defence Ministry audit confirmed “empty gun” guard cases in all frontline corps, while the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Ground Operations Command said they did not know. He said such a thing was impossible in a military where reporting to higher units is routine, that it must be established who ultimately issued the order, and that both a parliamentary investigation and a special counsel are needed. He also criticised the government's self-reliant defence stance, calling it “self-destroying defence” rather than self-reliant defence. [ 7 , 8 ]
The 1st Corps, which covers the western front, was reported in July to have changed its guard duty guidelines from the first half of this year so that crew-served weapons such as the K6 heavy machine gun and the K4 high-speed grenade launcher were not loaded with live ammunition; personal weapons were later found not loaded as well. Loading live ammunition is the standard for weapon operation in frontline areas including GP and GOP, and the ministry began inspecting frontline units in August. [ 2 , 4 ]
Asia Economy reported that critics said such conditions had continued since North Korea's December 2023 “two hostile states” declaration and questioned whether frontline military operations had lacked proper readiness. The ministry responded that the timing of changes to ammunition-carrying methods is decided by each corps, differs between them and is unrelated to any specific period, according to the report. [ 4 ]
Why it matters
The case concerns frontline readiness on a divided peninsula, and the ministry's stated plan to issue institutional rather than personal warnings indicates it treats the lapse as a systemic problem. The opposition's call for a parliamentary investigation and a special counsel, alongside its criticism of the government's self-reliant defence stance, moves the issue into national politics. How ammunition-carrying rules are rewritten and checked across frontline corps, the Ground Operations Command and the Joint Chiefs of Staff will follow from the ministry's stated plan.
Key facts
- Local reports on 5 October said unloaded-weapon guard duty was confirmed beyond the Army 1st Corps in additional frontline corps. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- According to the military and the office of Rep. Kang Sun-young of the People Power Party on the National Assembly's defence committee, cases of personal and crew-served weapons not loaded with live ammunition were found in the 2nd, 3rd and 5th Corps, which man GP and GOP guard duty, and in the Marine Corps 2nd Division. [ 2 , 4 ]
- A Defence Ministry official told Yonhap News that “as of the time of the inspection, some units were operating some weapons in a carried (not-loaded) state without revision of the guidelines or related official documents”. [ 2 ]
- The ministry decided to issue institutional warnings to the 1st and 2nd Corps, the 22nd Division under the 3rd Corps and the Ground Operations Command, and an improvement measure for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. [ 2 , 4 , 5 ]
- The ministry will not seek discipline against individuals including 1st Corps commander Han Ki-sung, who had been excluded from duty amid the controversy, because it said the period cannot be precisely confirmed and many people were involved per unit. [ 2 , 4 ]
- The 1st Corps, covering the western front, was reported in July to have changed its guard guidelines from the first half of this year so that K6 heavy machine guns and K4 high-speed grenade launchers were not loaded; personal weapons were later found not loaded as well. [ 2 , 4 ]
- People Power Party floor leader Jung Jeom-sik said on 6 October that a Defence Ministry audit confirmed “empty gun” guard cases in all frontline corps while the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Ground Operations Command said they did not know, and demanded both a parliamentary investigation and a special counsel. [ 7 , 8 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Cases of unloaded-weapon guard duty were confirmed beyond the Army 1st Corps in other frontline corps. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- The Defence Ministry plans institutional warnings for the 1st and 2nd Corps, the 22nd Division and the Ground Operations Command, and an improvement measure for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. [ 2 , 4 , 5 ]
- The ministry decided not to seek discipline against individuals including 1st Corps commander Han Ki-sung, citing the difficulty of pinpointing a period and responsible individuals. [ 2 , 4 ]
- Loading live ammunition is the standard for weapon operation in frontline areas such as GP and GOP, and the ministry began inspecting frontline units in August. [ 2 , 4 ]
- People Power Party floor leader Jung Jeom-sik called for a parliamentary investigation and a special counsel over the case. [ 7 , 8 ]
Still unclear
- Whether the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Ground Operations Command were unaware of the unloaded-weapon practice. This is asserted by People Power Party floor leader Jung Jeom-sik at a party meeting; the documents carry no confirmation or denial from the military bodies named.
- Whether the cases covered all frontline corps or only some units. The Chosun Ilbo and the opposition floor leader said all frontline corps, while the Defence Ministry official quoted by Yonhap News referred only to “some units”, without specifying a count.
- The exact period during which ammunition-carrying rules were applied differently from the guidelines. The ministry official said the period cannot be precisely confirmed, which the ministry cited as a reason for issuing institutional rather than individual warnings.
- The extent of the cases in the Marine Corps 2nd Division, which handles coastal and river guard duty in the capital region. Reported through the military and a lawmaker's office in a single document without further detail.
- Whether the practice is connected to North Korea's December 2023 “two hostile states” declaration. Asia Economy reported critics making this link, while the Defence Ministry said the timing of changes is decided by each corps and is unrelated to a specific period; the two accounts conflict.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- The Chosun Ilbo reports that “empty gun” guard cases occurred in all frontline corps, from Ganghwa Island to the east coast. [ 1 ]
- The Maeil Business newspaper reports the Defence Ministry's inspection results, its plan for institutional warnings and its decision not to pursue individual discipline. [ 2 ]
- The Seoul Shinmun reports that the “empty gun” alerts at the front were not limited to the 1st Corps and were also confirmed in the 2nd and 3rd Corps. [ 3 ]
- Asia Economy reports that the 5th Corps was also found to have unloaded cases but was excluded from the warning list after revising its own guidelines. [ 4 ]
- The Seoul Shinmun reports the ministry's plan to warn the Ground Operations Command and subordinate corps. [ 5 ]
- The Seoul Shinmun publishes an editorial questioning whether the case should end with institutional warnings. [ 6 ]
- People Power Party floor leader Jung Jeom-sik says at a party meeting that the audit confirmed “empty gun” guard cases in all frontline corps and calls for a parliamentary investigation and a special counsel. [ 7 ]
- SBS News reports Jung's remarks and his criticism of the government's self-reliant defence stance. [ 8 ]