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Defense Minister Cho Young-kil remarked Saturday that operation commanders said they failed to report the radio transmissions of the North Korean naval vessel that recently crossed over the West Sea¡¯s Northern Limit Line because they were concerned that the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other superiors might order South Korean ships not to fire.
Attending a National Assembly plenary session, Cho said, ¡°The operational commander¡¯s judgment not to make a full report was inappropriate and he must take firm responsibility for it... I conveyed this position to the president, who is commander-in-chief, as well.¡±
Since Cho¡¯s remarks completely differ from the Defense Ministry¡¯s joint investigation released the previous day in which the reason given for the lapse was ¡°carelessness,¡± they are expected to make waves. This is because those comments confirm that the missing report was not carelessness, but an intentional measure.
With this comes shock that the South Korean military, which is facing off the North Korean military to the front, is dealing with an internal fissure to the rear in which mistrust in military leadership is so great that operational commanders do not make proper reports.
As operational commanders on the front line do not trust military leadership, which is influenced by politicians pulling for intra-Korean reconciliation, to allow them to take proper measures in accordance with the situation on the ground, there are calls for the authorities to come up with appropriate remedies and countermeasures for this sensitive current within the military.
Cho also said the Navy operational commander gave as another reason for his report omission that he was concerned that even if he had reported North Korea¡¯s deceptive broadcasts, the media would claim that the warning shots were inappropriate and South Korea¡¯s internal divisions could be manipulated by the North.
This is interpreted as meaning that the military does not trust certain media companies that stress only North-South reconciliation.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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