South Korea defense ministry to warn frontline corps over unloaded weapons
In short
South Korea's Defense Ministry said on 5 October it will issue institutional warnings after an inspection found that frontline corps other than the 1st Corps had also carried out guard duty with weapons unloaded. According to the office of lawmaker Kang Sun-young of the National Assembly's defense committee, unloaded personal and crew-served weapons were found at the 2nd, 3rd and 5th Corps, which guard frontline GP and GOP posts. The ministry plans warnings for the Ground Operations Command, the 1st and 2nd Corps and the 3rd Corps' 22nd Division, plus an improvement measure for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and will not seek discipline against individuals including 1st Corps commander Han Ki-sung.
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South Korea's Defense Ministry said on 5 October that it will issue institutional warnings to frontline units after an inspection found that corps other than the 1st Corps had also operated weapons unloaded during guard duty, according to Yonhap and other outlets. [ 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 ]
According to the office of lawmaker Kang Sun-young of the National Assembly's defense committee, unloaded personal and crew-served weapons were found at the 2nd, 3rd and 5th Corps, which handle guard duty at frontline GP and GOP posts. A ministry official said: “As of the time of the inspection, some units were operating some weapons in a carry (unloaded) state without a revised guideline or a related official document.” [ 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 ]
The ministry plans institutional warnings for the Ground Operations Command, which controls ammunition-carrying policy, for the 1st and 2nd Corps and for the 3rd Corps' 22nd Division, and an improvement measure for the Joint Chiefs of Staff aimed at fixing shortcomings in its working system. It will not seek disciplinary action against individuals, including 1st Corps commander Han Ki-sung, who was removed from duty in the controversy; the ministry said the exact period when the practice diverged from guidelines cannot be confirmed and that individual responsibility is hard to pin down given the number of people involved. [ 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 ]
NoCut News reported that the units were the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Corps; that the Marine Corps' 2nd Division, under Capital Corps operational control for coastal and river guard, and the Army's 5th Corps had previously operated partly unloaded but have now switched to loaded weapons; and that each corps decided the change at a different time. The 5th Corps was excluded from the warning because non-loading was decided through the corps commander's procedure. Except for the 5th Corps, problems were found where subordinate divisions acted on their own and corps did not correct them after the fact, the outlet said. [ 6 , 8 ]
The 1st Corps, which covers the western front, changed its guard-operation guideline from the first half of this year so that crew-served weapons such as the K6 heavy machine gun and the K4 high-velocity grenade launcher were not loaded, and the change became known in July, causing controversy. It later emerged that personal weapons were also not loaded. Loading is the principle for weapons in frontline GP and GOP areas, and the ministry inspected frontline units' practices in August as a result. [ 2 , 4 , 8 ]
NoCut News noted that although the omission of reports to higher units such as the Ground Operations Command is a significant problem, some argue that with advanced surveillance and reconnaissance, unloaded guard duty can lower the risk of accidental incidents while allowing rapid response. [ 6 ]
Why it matters
The inspection found that a core frontline guard practice was set differently by each corps, without revised guidelines or official documents and without reports to higher commands, which Hankook Ilbo said makes criticism of the military's procedures inevitable. The ministry is responding with institutional warnings rather than individual punishment, saying responsibility cannot be pinned on specific people; how that is received will shape scrutiny of the military's oversight of frontline readiness.
Key facts
- The Defense Ministry said on 5 October it will issue institutional warnings after an inspection found that frontline corps other than the 1st Corps also operated weapons unloaded during guard duty. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 ]
- Unloaded personal and crew-served weapons were found at the 2nd, 3rd and 5th Corps, which handle guard duty at frontline GP and GOP posts, according to lawmaker Kang Sun-young's office. [ 2 , 4 , 8 ]
- The ministry said the units operated some weapons in a carry (unloaded) state without a revised guideline or a related official document. [ 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 ]
- Institutional warnings are planned for the Ground Operations Command, the 1st and 2nd Corps and the 3rd Corps' 22nd Division, with an improvement measure for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. [ 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 ]
- No disciplinary demands will be made against individuals, including 1st Corps commander Han Ki-sung, who was removed from duty in the controversy. [ 2 , 4 ]
- The 1st Corps changed its guard guideline in the first half of this year so that K6 heavy machine guns and K4 high-velocity grenade launchers were not loaded; the change became known in July. [ 2 , 4 , 8 ]
- NoCut News reported that the Marine Corps' 2nd Division and the 5th Corps had previously operated partly unloaded but have switched to loaded weapons, and that the 5th Corps was excluded from the warning. [ 6 , 8 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The Defense Ministry said it would issue institutional warnings after its inspection found that frontline corps other than the 1st Corps also operated weapons unloaded during guard duty. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 ]
- The ministry said the unloaded operation was carried out without a revised guideline or a related official document. [ 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 ]
- Warnings are planned for the Ground Operations Command, the 1st and 2nd Corps and the 3rd Corps' 22nd Division, with an improvement measure for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. [ 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 ]
- The ministry will not seek discipline against individuals, including 1st Corps commander Han Ki-sung. [ 2 , 4 ]
- The 1st Corps changed its guard guidelines in the first half of this year so that crew-served weapons at GP and GOP posts were not loaded, and the change became known in July and caused controversy. [ 2 , 4 , 8 ]
Still unclear
- Whether every frontline corps carried out unloaded guard duty. One outlet's headline said all frontline corps kept empty guns on guard, while other documents named specific corps and reported that the 5th Corps and the Marine Corps' 2nd Division had switched to loaded weapons.
- The exact period in which units departed from the loading guideline. The ministry said the period cannot be precisely confirmed; NoCut News reported that the timing of the change differed by corps, based on the inspection.
- Whether unloaded guard duty is operationally acceptable. NoCut News reported an argument that it can lower accident risk given surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, while other documents describe loading as the principle and the practice as a procedural violation.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- The 1st Corps' change of its GP and GOP guard guidelines so that weapons were not loaded becomes known, causing controversy. [ 2 , 4 , 8 ]
- The Defense Ministry inspects frontline units' weapon-carrying practices. [ 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 ]
- Kukmin Ilbo reports that additional frontline corps were confirmed to have kept empty guns on guard, with the ministry planning institutional warnings. [ 1 ]
- Yonhap reports the ministry will issue institutional warnings after confirming similar cases at other frontline corps. [ 2 ]
- SBS News reports unloaded cases at the 2nd, 3rd and 5th Corps and the plan to warn the 1st and 2nd Corps and the 3rd Corps' 22nd Division. [ 4 ]
- NoCut News reports that the Marine Corps' 2nd Division and the 5th Corps have switched to loaded weapons and that change timings differed by corps. [ 6 ]
- Hankook Ilbo reports the 5th Corps was excluded from the warning because the decision followed the corps commander's procedure. [ 8 ]