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Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Kim Sung-il on Wednesday resigned over a string of incidents including the crash of a KF-16 fighter jet in the West Sea off South Chungcheong Province on Feb. 13.
Many of the 26 KF-16 fighters with the same engine as the ill-fated fighter were found to be in poor maintenance. Kim apparently decided to resign to take responsibility for lax discipline in the Air Force. U.S. engine maker Pratt & Whitney, which supplied the KF-16 engines, found problems with some of the turbine blade props made between 1993 and 1994. The U.S. manufacturer advised the Korean Air Force in 2000 to change the parts by 2004, but officers and mechanics ignored the advice. The maintenance records of the crashed fighter jet, dated June 29, 2004, say an inspection of the fighter jet showed ¡°no problem¡± with the engine.
The Board of Audit and Inspection and the Defense Ministry have started investigating the Air Force. Some speculate that Kim may have decided to resign because a confidential military inspection found him playing golf with chaplains on March 1 Independence Movement Day, even as the nation mourned the death of Sgt. Yoon Jang-ho, who was killed in a suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan on Feb. 27.
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KF-16 fighter jets fly above the Dokdo islets in the East Sea.
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In a press release, Air Force spokesman Col. Kim Kyu-jin quoted Kim Sung-il as saying, "Through an investigation of last month's KF-16 crash, I confirmed that Air Force logistics support is unsatisfactory. I was shocked to find that many officers and mechanics will be subject to disciplinary action, and apologize to the nation." He also apologized for the golfing gaffe. A military source said the KF-16s have been temporarily grounded.
Cheong Wa Dae decided to accept Kim's resignation.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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