Tag: ROK military

After a South Korean court allowed conscientious objectors to not serve in the military and instead work at prison facilities to fulfill their mandatory service obligation. This has caused concern that people would lie about being a conscientious objector which has caused investigations of people’s video game habits:

Previously, people evading military services were sentenced to 18 months in jail. Those people are referred to by the public as conscientious objectors. 
The top court’s decision, which sparked an outrage among South Korean men, especially those who are fit for conscription, was followed by another question: How can a person’s conscience be judged?
As one of the measures to find out if objectors truly believe in peace, a South Korean district prosecutors’ office announced that it would look into objectors’ gaming history as one measure, including whether they have actively played online games that involve violence.
The Ulsan prosecutors’ office, which is looking into cases of 11 conscientious objectors, won approval from the court to investigate their gaming experiences. Under the court’s approval, the prosecutors requested data of the objectors at five major gaming firms.
The information requested by investigators was whether the objectors had IDs for such games and how long have they played them. As gaming firms only saves players’ data for around six months, prosecutors said they understand it will be hard to find out the history of people who have not recently played games.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Someone should have asked the ROK defense minister what he meant by countering threats in all directions? Does he Japan is a military threat against South Korea?:

South Korea will increase defense spending by an average of 7.5 percent each year over the next five years with a focus on building “independent capabilities to counter threats from all directions,” Seoul’s defense ministry said Friday.
The ministry announced its defense blueprint for the 2019-2023 period, during which it wants to spend 270.7 trillion won (US$241.9 billion) — 94.1 trillion won on improving defense capabilities and the rest on managing troops, equipment and facilities. 
Under the plan, the ministry seeks to increase the country’s defense budget, which stands at 46.7 trillion won this year, to 50.3 trillion won for 2020, 54.1 trillion won for 2021, 57.8 trillion won for 2022 and 61.8 trillion won for 2023.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

This is good news for ROK Army conscripts:

Enlisted soldiers will be allowed to stay off base for about four hours after hours during weekdays starting in February as part of efforts to protect the rights of conscripts. 
The Defense Ministry on Thursday announced a set of new guidelines that will allow soldiers to leave their base from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. up to twice a month. They can meet family and friends, pursue their studies or enjoy themselves as long as their fitness for combat is not affected.
Currently conscripts are confined to the district where their barracks is for fear that they will not make it back in time in an emergency. But in future they can travel as far as a two-hour drive from their base. 
Some small businesses near bases were against the plan because they were afraid of losing customers, and some pundits warned the plans could affect discipline. But a ministry spokesman said, “We’re going to rely on common sense when we let soldiers spend time off base.”

Chosun Ilbo

Here is what South Korea’s new defense minister had to say to his top general officers:

Presiding over a year-end meeting with more than 140 top commanders nationwide, the minister cited two pillars of the government’s security strategy: peace and strong defense capability.

The US is not yet knowing the Fact that ROK former men in uniform including Gen. Paik Sun-yup are currently opposing the Pro-NK Moon Admin, More than 500 of former Generals gathered at War Memorial and oppose the Inter-Korea Mil agreement! #ROKUS #USFK https://t.co/sMFoSZWR1X

— Dong Yon Kim/김동연 기자 (@dongyonews) November 26, 2018

While I was serving in the ROK Army, I heard quite a few conscripts say that if a war broke out, the first thing they'd do is kill the NCOs and then go home. I served less than 15km away from the DMZ.

It didn't help to build a lot of confidence. https://t.co/1UtDtHH7Kr

— John Lee (The Korean Foreigner) (@koreanforeigner) November 20, 2018

I am not sure what authorities the Defense Security Command had, but if they were conducting illegal surveillance than people should be held accountable:

A special military probe team has indicted four senior uniformed officers, including two general-grade ones, for their alleged role in the illicit surveillance of family members of victims in a 2014 ferry disaster, investigators said Tuesday.

The team wrapped up its monthslong inquiry into the allegations that officials of the now-defunct Defense Security Command (DSC) monitored the victims’ families to minimize the political impact of the tragic incident that laid bare the government’s ineptitude in crisis management.

Investigators indicted and detained a major general, a brigadier general and a colonel for issuing directives for the purported surveillance. Another colonel was also indicted without detention on the same charges.

The ferry Sewol sank in waters off the country’s southwestern island of Jindo on April 16, 2014, leaving more than 300 passengers dead or missing. The bereaved families’ criticism of the government’s response to the disaster worsened public sentiment against the then-Park Geun-hye administration.  [Yonhap]

You can read more at the link, but the Moon administration has already “reformed” the Defense Security Command:

https://www.rokdrop.net/2018/08/south-korean-committee-claims-they-want-to-reform-defense-security-command/

This looks like quite a concert to celebrate the ROK military’s 70th anniversary:

The South Korean military traded ballistic missiles for glowsticks and peace talk as K-pop stars helped celebrate the country’s 70th Armed Forces Day.

A ceremony Monday at the Korean War Memorial just south of the U.S. military’s Yongsan Garrison in Seoul marked the anniversary of South Korean forces crossing the 38th parallel during the 1950-53 conflict.

The event stood in stark contrast to last year’s ceremony, during which South Korean leaders spoke of nuclear deterrence and unveiled the Hyunmoo-2C — a ballistic missile with the range to hit anything in North Korea.

“Today, I am overwhelmed with excitement as I am able to discuss an era of peace,” South Korean President Moon Jae-in said at the ceremony, according to a translation of his remarks. “Now is the time for our military to stand at the forefront of peace on the Korean Peninsula,” he added. “Peace through strength is the mission of our armed forces.”  [Stars & Stripes]

You can read more at the link.