hankyoreh

March 29.

The sinking of the navy Patrol Combat Corvette (PCC) Cheonan together with the crashes of air force and army aircraft earlier this month have led observers to question whether there are fundamental problems within the military that are not being made public.

On March 2, two Korean air force F-5 fighter jets crashed in the area around Daegwan-ryeong in Gangwon Province, killing three pilots. The next day on March 3, an MD-500 army helicopter crashed in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, killing two. Neither the air force nor the army has yet released its final investigation results, but it is known that they are attributing the accidents respectively to “pilot error” and “poor climate conditions.”

The sinking of the Cheonan took place amid an emphasis in the military on accident prevention following the two aircraft crashes. Indeed, following the crashes, the Joint Chiefs of Staff ordered safety precautions for all branches of the military, and this safety directive is known to have extended to the navy as well.

For this reason, observers are saying that one of the basic problems in connection with the recent string of accidents, rather than being negligence in superficial safety measures, is instead a climate among the military leadership of being interested only in acquiring new weapons, while neglecting maintenance and operation of existing equipment. Kim Jong-dae, military expert and editor-in-chief of D&D Focus, said, “The leadership in the various branches of the military is focused only on buying new and expensive weapons to show off their sense of presence.” Kim added, “In the process, there has, paradoxically, been a relative drop in interest toward switching out antiquated equipment or properly using the existing equipment.”

Indeed, the MD-500 army helicopter that crashed on March 3 was an old model that was produced in 1978 and had surpassed its designated lifespan of thirty years. In addition, the two F-5s that crashed are known to have been flown for close to two times their designated lifespan of 4,000 to 5,000 hours through the substitution of parts. Accounts from the maritime police have indicated that the Cheonan had water leaks in the base of the hull even before the accident and was repaired three times.

A number of observers are also saying that the military’s announcement of “face-saving” investigation results every time there is an accident is itself breeding accidents. For security reasons, the military has rarely given clear announcements on accident causes. Experts are saying that in the process, it has become a kind of PR formula to attribute aircraft accidents to pilot error if the pilot dies, and airframe defects if the pilot survives.

Some analysts are also linking the Cheonan accident with the possibility of lax discipline in the military leadership in connection with the military appointment season. At the National Assemby’s National Defense Committee on Saturday, Grand National Party Lawmaker Kim Jang-soo said, “It was during the leadership appointment season last year that the Dongbu Construction iron railing was penetrated.” Kim added, “Incidentally, this incident also took place after the navy chief was appointed.” Admiral-level appointments are scheduled to take place in April.

In any case, experts inside and outside the military predict that many within the military command will have to take responsibility after this incident has been resolved. Additionally, the Ministry of National Defense, which had been calling for an increased defense budget, citing the need to introduce the latest weapons, now finds itself in an awkward position. Some analysts are predicting that the Lee Myung-bak administration may avail itself of this opportunity to expedite military reforms.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]