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Former military leaders on Tuesday demanded an apology from President Roh Moo-hyun for disparaging the military. At a snap press conference, they claimed South Korea was ¡°facing the most serious crisis since its foundation.¡± The meeting was attended by some 70 or more than two-thirds of former military leaders including former defense ministers Kim Sung-eun, Noh Jae-hyun, Seo Jong-cheol, Kim Dong-jin and Kim Dong-shin, former chiefs of staff, former chiefs of General Staff and former deputy commanders of the Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command. Among them were two appointed by the current government, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Kim Jong-hwan and former Army chief of staff Nam Jae-joon.
In a five-point statement, the Korea Retired Generals and Admirals Association slammed remarks Roh made on Dec. 21, in which he said former defense chiefs ¡°strutted about wearing their stars¡± despite being unable to exercise wartime control of Korean troops and indicated military service was a waste of time. "Having dedicated our lives to defending national security, we cannot contain our disappointment and anger at the president's insults to the public, the military, the Constitution and the holy duty to defend our nation,¡± they said.
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Former defense ministers and military leaders salute the national flag in Seoul on Tuesday.
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They also voiced ¡°strong opposition¡± to a reported government plan to shorten compulsory military service, which they said was cooked up ¡°to meet certain political purposes.¡± Answering Roh's remark that it is ¡°obvious¡± North Korea¡¯s missiles do not target the South, they said, "We must not tolerate even 0.01 percent uncertainty when it comes to national security. The president is misleading the public about an issue that could determine national security and the life of the whole nation."
They took umbrage at another remark by the president, who asked if South Korea's defense capability is weaker than North Korea¡¯s when it spends 10 times the money, ¡°does it mean our military spent the money on snacks or neglected their duty?" They said this unfairly branded them as ¡°recklessly wasting our defense budget." They said the government ¡°fails to recognize the importance of Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command which plays a central role in deterring war on the Korean Peninsula" by pursuing independent operational control of Korean forces. "The government should scrap the plan immediately since it has nothing to do with our sovereignty or self-defense,¡± they added.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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