hankyoreh

Former Navy 2nd Fleet Commander Kim Dong-sik, who was reprimanded in connection to a slipshod response during last year’s Cheonan sinking, has been given a new position with naval command. Former Joint Chiefs of Staff operational division head Kim Hak-ju, another individual reprimanded over the incident, was promoted recently to vice admiral. The vessel’s captain and the naval squadron head received only suspended disciplinary measures. It is a shocking situation that is taking place at this very moment in the Republic of Korea’s military, where not a single member of the command is taking any real responsibility for the horrible catastrophe that sent 46 sailors to a watery grave.
The debate over the cause of the sinking has yet to die down. But regardless of the external cause of the disaster, the vessel’s sinking clearly could not have happened without a failure in alertness. A patrol ship that should have been looking out for threats on and under the water to ensure the safety of other vessels did not even take minimal response measures to guard itself. In the wake of the sinking, the Board of Audit and Inspection demanded that disciplinary measures be taken against 25 commanders and staff members for a lack of combat readiness, false reports, and other lapses. This was the least that could be done to pinpoint the responsibility for the inadequate response and provide a cautionary lesson for the future.
Commanders who fail in battle may be forgiven, but not those who fail at alertness. One may win or lose in combat based on one’s capabilities, but an alertness failure can leave all personnel helpless in the face of disaster. A number of field force commanders in the past have left the service as a result of severe disciplinary action for allowing their anti-espionage cordon to be breached. The military’s behavior in reinstating one figure implicated in the tragedy after another is incomprehensible even in terms of past precedent.
The reasons for this are easy enough to guess. Around the time of last year’s local elections, the Lee administration was seen attempting to play up the sinking in an effort to get public opinion on its side. One got the sense it was tying itself up in knots emphasizing the heroism of the victims on one hand while at the same time working to determine command responsibility. The actions have been utterly inappropriate, placing political considerations over the principle of dispensing justice when making appointments in the military.
The Lee administration has placed particular emphasis on national security and defense readiness, yet it has acted without principle on disciplinary matters that truly need to be stern.
This may temporarily smooth over ruffled feathers in the military by turning a blind eye in making appointments. But military discipline and fighting strength will be corroded from within if things proceed in this way. And that is to say nothing of the damage this does to public trust of the military.
　　
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