hankyoreh

Dec. 6. (Yonhap News Agency)　　

By Kwon Hyuk-chul, Staff Writer　

A presidential committee for the advancement of national defense presented a plan to President Lee Myung-bak on Monday that would restore the mandatory military service period in the Army to its previous level of 24 months. The period has been undergoing continuous reduction, with the goal of shortening it to 18 months by 2014. Recent recruits serve just over 21 months.

The committee also proposed the reintroduction of a weighted calculation system to reflect mandatory military service, which was eliminated in 1999 after the Constitutional Court ruled it unconstitutional, and the establishment of an active deterrent strategy to ward off military provocations from North Korea, including asymmetrical threats.

Observers within and outside the military contend that the committee merely outlined a laundry list of 71 proposed tasks at the meeting, which was presided over by the president on Monday morning at the Cheong Wa Dae, without clearly indicating which tasks are urgently needed to realize improvements in national defense through a strategy of selection and concentration.

In particular, the committee proposed changes to the period of mandatory military service, an issue directly connected with citizen rights and duties, in the wake of the artillery bombardment of Yeonpyeong Island. As of late November, the committee is known to have planned to recommend abandoning the reduction to 18 months and freezing the period at its current 21 months. But after national security worries flared up regarding the “biggest crisis since the Korean War” with North Korea’s armed attack on Yeonpyeong Island on Nov. 23, the committee proposed restoring the period to 24 months.

With the exception of an increase following a 1968 ambush on the Cheong Wa Dae by a Korean People’s Army commando unit, the mandatory military service has undergone a continuous decrease since the armistice that ended the Korean War. Observers say the feasibility of restoring the period to 24 months is unclear, as it is certain to turn off young voters ahead of the 2012 general and presidential elections.

Perhaps conscious of this, Cheong Wa Dae Senior Secretary for Public Affairs Hong Sang-pyo said in a briefing that “we will have to examine it now that it has been proposed, but whether it will actually be adopted is a different issue.” Since the Lee administration took office, the Ministry of National Defense has also maintained a “wait-and-see” attitude whenever a debate over restoring the 24-month mandatory military service period has arisen, calling it an “item where a citizen consensus is required.”

The committee explained that its proposal to revive the weighted calculation system for military service was based on the determination that it will become more difficult to ensure a stable source of recruit resources in the future due to a perception that those who unconditionally sacrifice their youth for the state will actually be at a disadvantage in terms of their careers compared to those who have not served.

However, analysts say the possibility of reintroducing the system is low, as the debate previously ended with a 1999 Constitutional Court ruling finding it unconstitutional. Instead, it appears likely to only reignite antagonism between males and females and a wasteful debate between those who have completed service and those who have not.

The committee also reportedly proposed a plan that would involving placing the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the role of military adviser to the president, while establishing a new joint military command to strengthen coordination among the Army, Navy, and Air Force and investing most of the current chairman’s command and direction authority in the joint military commanders. Also reported was a plan that would create the new position of general commander of the Army, Navy, and Air Force under the joint military command, who would direct the individual forces’ commands.

Observers within and outside the military have expressed skepticism over whether such it is possible to reorganize the current system, which was established in August 1990, during the remaining two years of President Lee’s term, as this would require a comprehensive analysis of the interests of the different forces as well as current and future threats.

Also recommended was the creation of a “Five West Sea Islands Command,” which would organize the marines into a rapid response force, improve the defense posture in the islands, and enable comprehensive strategy formulation and response in the event of a combat situation.

The committee also proposed the establishment of a “demand verification committee,” in which external experts would verify the demands of each of the armed forces in terms of weapons systems and personnel.

Meanwhile, Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin said Monday, “In the event of a prior provocation by the enemy, we will respond in the interests of defense, and ministerial guidelines to that effect have been passed down.”

During a meeting with reporters Monday morning, Kim said, “With the right to defense, the need for rules of engagement and the proportionality principle do not apply.”

Also noteworthy was Kim’s extension of the scope of self-defense authority Monday to “until such time as the enemy’s will to provocation is broken.” Analysts say this indicates an intent to completely eliminate the root of the enemy threat in the event of, for example, a North Korean naval artillery attack on the five West Sea islands, even if this means mobilizing air force fighter-bombers and fighters for an aerial attack. This direction has reportedly already been passed down to air force fighter wings across the country, which are maintaining a state of sortie readiness that would allow 24-hour precision bombings by F-15K fighter-bombers and KF-16 fighters in the event of a conflict at the islands.

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