Earlier this year, all of South Korea fell into shock after hearing about the death of PFC “Private Yoon”, a medic for the Republic of Korea Army 28th Regiment at the hands of his fellow soldiers he shared quarters with. In light of the abuse and violence happening within the armed forces, the South Korean government made moves to make changes to the military system which they hoped would loosen tensions among the soldiers. The Ministry of Defense announced that the initial results were rather positive.
During investigations for the “Private Yoon Incident” ROK Forces insiders reveled that the sergeant who constantly beat Private Yoon, and ended up killing him was also a victim of a similar kind of violence before he got promoted. They explained that the sergeant was also verbally and physically abused before he was transferred to the 28th Regiment where he encountered Private Yoon and led to doing the same to him.
The R.O.K. forces took note that this was only one of many acts of violence within the armed forces, and decided certain measures must be taken to ease stress of the soldiers and have all the soldiers be able to work and live together and eventually work as an effective military that could combat and defeat the enemy.
South Korea’s Ministry of Defense announced that they will be providing more opportunities for parents and families of draftees to visit the soldiers at their respective units. Army and marine units that are stationed at the G.O.P. or General Outpost near the border with North Korea, originally did not allow visits to the units for security purposes. However, the Ministry of Defense announced that even these front-line units on weekends and holidays. Already the first family visits have been opened at the front-line, easing the tension of the soldiers who have to constantly live under the fear of North Korean infiltration.
Korean soldiers were not allowed to carry cell phones or other personal electronic devices for security purposes. However, many experts expressed that the sudden isolation from society they must go through (all troops are draftees) following enlistment can be a cause of verbal abuse and violence among the troops. In response, the Ministry of Defense announced that a number of representatives of each rank will be responsible for a group cell phone, which the troops can share to call family and loved ones.
The initial results of these reformations seem to be rather positive especially hearing the reactions of parents who have sons serving in the military. However, some military insiders have expressed there might be some serious side effects of these changes.
Last week, during a training exercise, 3 marines of the 1st Landing Regiment in Pohang were wounded after one trainee threw a grenade off-course. Some more conservative military insiders expressed that modern soldiers need to be more tense and cautious about their service to their country, and such trainings using real firearms and explosives must continue in order to maintain a powerful military that could defend the nation. At the same time, others noted that the safety of the troops is also of vital importance as their combat capabilities.
Right now, the Korean military is considered to have the 10th most powerful ground army, navy and air force in the world in terms of number of personnel and the quantity and quality of their weapons. The government however began to express that without healthy and strong mentalities, the R.O.K. forces may not be able to guarantee a victory against an enemy such as North Korea.
