More frontline Army units found guarding border with unloaded weapons

Soldiers guarding the border with North Korea in several Army units kept their weapons unloaded in violation of military rules, the Ministry of National Defense found, widening a controversy that cost the commander of the 1st Corps his post in August.

"As of the time of the inspection, some units were operating some weapons clear without a revision of the manual or any official document providing a basis for it," a ministry official told reporters on Monday.

The ministry plans to issue institutional warnings to the 1st and 2nd Corps, the 22nd Infantry Division under the 3rd Corps and the Army's Ground Operations Command, which oversees the front-line corps, for failing to follow procedures and violating the principle that weapons must be loaded. 

The measures follow an earlier report by the office of Rep. Kang Sun-young of the People Power Party, a member of the National Assembly's National Defense Committee, which found various cases of individual and crew-served weapons left unloaded in the 2nd, 3rd and 5th Corps that guard general outposts and guard posts along the front line.

The controversy began when it emerged that the 1st Corps, which covers the western front, had changed its guidelines in the first half of the year so that crew-served weapons, such as K6 heavy machine guns and K4 automatic grenade launchers, would not be loaded during guard operations.

Front-line units are supposed to keep their weapons loaded. But the 1st Corps commander used his discretion to change the guidelines, and the weapons were kept unloaded with their ammunition stored in ammo cans.

The measure was reportedly meant to prevent accidental discharges. But critics raised concerns that it could weaken the units' ability to respond immediately in an emergency in front-line areas that border North Korea. The ministry inspected front-line units in August as a result.

"Based on the inspection results, we plan to issue institutional warnings and orders for improvement to the Joint Chiefs of Staff [JCS], the Ground Operations Command and the corps and divisions under it," the ministry official said.

The Ground Operations Command received a warning because it controls how ammunition is carried. The JCS will be ordered to make improvements to its work procedures. 

The ministry does not plan to seek disciplinary action against individuals, including Lt. Gen. Han Ki-sung, the 1st Corps commander who was relieved of duty over the controversy. 

"We cannot confirm exactly when units began carrying ammunition in a way that differed from the guidelines, and since many people in each unit were involved in the work, it is realistically difficult to single out individuals," the ministry official told reporters. "So we are issuing institutional warnings to allow for systemic improvements."

BY CHO MUN-GYU [[email protected]]