{"id":2202064,"date":"2023-08-23T17:47:17","date_gmt":"2023-08-23T08:47:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2202064"},"modified":"2023-11-20T17:31:00","modified_gmt":"2023-11-20T08:31:00","slug":"how-a-botched-military-probe-risks-eroding-south-korean-national-security","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/08\/how-a-botched-military-probe-risks-eroding-south-korean-national-security\/","title":{"rendered":"How a botched military probe risks eroding South Korean national security"},"content":{"rendered":"

The tragic <\/span>death<\/span><\/a> of a 21-year-old South Korean marine, Corporal Chae Su-geun, during a mission in monsoon floods last month has exposed critical safety concerns and triggered a multifaceted investigation within the ROK armed forces.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This incident has raised questions about the adequacy of safety measures, the scope of accountability and the potential repercussions for troop morale and readiness.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It has also underlined how the ROK military is still navigating broader legal reforms introduced during the Moon administration, which have redefined the roles of military leaders and expanded the purview of civilian courts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The challenge for South Korea is to shore up trust in the armed forces among a public that seeks greater accountability, but the debate over Corporal Chae\u2019s case shows that the issue has already become politicized, which could shape the trajectory of the military and even create national security risks.<\/span><\/p>\n

THE INVESTIGATION<\/b><\/p>\n

While on a mission to locate and rescue individuals missing in last month\u2019s monsoon floods, Chae was swept away by strong currents, and his body was discovered the following morning.<\/span><\/p>\n

Alarming <\/span>details<\/span><\/a> emerged, revealing that neither Chae nor his fellow marines were equipped with life vests during their mission \u2014 a crucial safety precaution. Instead, the team employed a risky and unorthodox approach of holding hands. Unfortunately,a sudden dip in the river disrupted this formation, leading to Chae\u2019s demise.<\/span><\/p>\n

Colonel Park Jung-hun, the ROK Marine Corps provost marshal, took charge of the <\/span>preliminary investigation<\/span><\/a>. Following his inquiry, he briefed the marine\u2019s leadership, defense minister Lee Jong-sup and Chae\u2019s grieving parents on his findings. Based on his assessment, Park recommended charges of negligence against the commanders of the company, battalion, brigade and division.<\/span><\/p>\n

Legislation<\/span><\/a> pertaining to fatalities within the ROK military stipulates that if there\u2019s a suspicion of a crime, it falls under the jurisdiction of a civilian court. Further, an <\/span>amendment<\/span><\/a> passed during former President Moon Jae-in\u2019s administration stipulates that if a civilian court recognizes that a crime has been committed, the case should be transferred to the prosecution or the police.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, although the defense minister had initially approved the probe\u2019s findings, he later issued an order to put off the transfer to the police, citing the need for further review. Park\u2019s lawyers maintained that he received these new orders to hold off on sending the case to the police only after he had begun the transfer process, and they <\/span>alleged<\/span><\/a> that the ministry pressured Park to omit any allegations of criminal negligence by the commanders he charged.<\/span><\/p>\n

In response, the defense ministry retrieved the report from the police to be reviewed by the Criminal Investigation Command, charged Park with insubordination and formally relieved him of his duties.<\/span><\/p>\n

In a bold move, Colonel Park appeared on national television donning his Marine Corps uniform, defiantly accusing the defense ministry of undue interference and affirming his commitment to justice.<\/span><\/p>\n

On Monday, the ministry <\/span>decided<\/span><\/a> to transfer the probe\u2019s findings to the police.<\/span><\/p>\n

The controversy draws attention to several key issues: the extent of the initial indictments, whether Chae\u2019s family should have been briefed and what motivated Colonel Park to recommend his charges.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Airborne special forces from South Korea’s 13th Special Mission Brigade take part in search and rescue operations in North Chungcheong Province, July 15, 2023 | Image: ROK Ministry of National Defense via Facebook<\/a><\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

JUDICIAL REFORMS<\/b><\/p>\n

Historically, the South Korean military practiced the <\/span>\u201cjurisdictional officer\u201d system<\/span><\/a> where military commanders also served in a judicial capacity, a system in place since the Defense Security Law of July 1948. This gave the military the authority to appoint judges, granting it a form of judicial authority, meaning judgments could be made based on commanders\u2019 discretion.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another notable feature of the system allowed jurisdictional officers to either confirm or reduce sentences handed out by military tribunals by up to one-third of the original sentence if they deemed the punishment too severe. Such a provision was considered essential, given the stringent nature of military law and the need for a mechanism to introduce leniency.<\/span><\/p>\n

This system has had <\/span>no shortage of critics<\/span><\/a>. Allegations frequently arose suggesting that offenses like drunk driving often resulted in mere fines and that severe crimes like sexual or physical assault concluded with minor disciplinary actions. Some highlighted apparent disparities in punishment standards between officers and enlisted personnel. Concerns also emerged about commanders potentially downplaying or concealing incidents and accidents within the military ranks.<\/span><\/p>\n

In a broader societal push for fairness, the Moon administration redefined the responsibilities of the jurisdictive officer. The National Assembly\u2019s Judiciary and Legal Committee <\/span>passed<\/span><\/a> an amendment to the <\/span>Military Court Act<\/span><\/a> in 2021, redirecting a significant number of military crimes \u2014 offenses outside the purview of the <\/span>Military Criminal Act<\/span><\/a> \u2014 to civilian courts.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Moon administration also introduced the <\/span>Serious Accidents Punishment Act<\/span><\/a>. This law aims to prevent major disasters and safeguard citizens and workers by setting penalties for business owners, managers, public officials and corporations that cause harm or death due to neglecting safety and health standards.<\/span><\/p>\n

These legislative changes aim to bolster public safety and, in the military\u2019s context, curb any unwarranted exercise of authority. However, the implications of the legal reforms remain uncertain when applied to the military. Hypothetically, if a soldier were to sustain injuries during a training operation, the defense minister could face accusations of negligence under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act.<\/span><\/p>\n

GOING FORWARD<\/b><\/p>\n

Former President Moon Jae-in\u2019s judicial and military reforms, including allowing enlisted personnel to use cell phones and raising their pay, were a response to shifts in public expectations, but the ROK military still appears to be grappling with the rapid changes. This is especially true when it comes to determining which courts have jurisdiction over criminal cases that occur in the military.<\/span><\/p>\n

The ongoing standoff between the defense ministry and Colonel Park Jung-hun is emblematic of the situation at hand. To make matters worse, this confusion has allowed the situation to become politicized. A spokesperson for the main opposition Democratic Party <\/span>accused<\/span><\/a> the defense ministry and, by extension, the presidential office of trying to shield the marine corps first division\u2019s commanders from prosecution.<\/span><\/p>\n

With the government and defense ministry on one side and the opposition party siding with Colonel Park, the ROK military risks being perceived as a political pawn, potentially undermining the public\u2019s trust in the armed forces and South Korea\u2019s overall national security.<\/span><\/p>\n

South Korea finds itself at a critical juncture. The ROK military is navigating significant policy shifts and changing social mores around safety and accountability. And while much still remains unknown about Corporal Chae\u2019s case, his tragic death has shone a spotlight on how much more work the armed forces will need to do if they hope to retain public trust.<\/span><\/p>\n

Edited by John Lee<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Culture & Society<\/span><\/a>Defense & Security<\/span><\/a>Domestic Politics<\/span><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The tragic death of a 21-year-old South Korean marine, Corporal Chae Su-geun, during a mission in monsoon floods last month has exposed critical safety concerns and triggered a multifaceted investigation within the ROK armed forces.\u00a0 This incident has raised questions about the adequacy of safety measures, the scope of accountability and the potential repercussions for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10407,"featured_media":2202811,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[25,26,27],"yoast_head":"\nHow a botched military probe risks eroding South Korean national security - KOREA PRO<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/08\/how-a-botched-military-probe-risks-eroding-south-korean-national-security\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How a botched military probe risks eroding South Korean national security - KOREA PRO\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The tragic death of a 21-year-old South Korean marine, Corporal Chae Su-geun, during a mission in monsoon floods last month has exposed critical safety concerns and triggered a multifaceted investigation within the ROK armed forces.\u00a0 This incident has raised questions about the adequacy of safety measures, the scope of accountability and the potential repercussions for […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/08\/how-a-botched-military-probe-risks-eroding-south-korean-national-security\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"KOREA PRO\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nknewsorg\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-08-23T08:47:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-11-20T08:31:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/08\/feature-15.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"548\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"johnleenknews\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@southkoreapro\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@southkoreapro\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Chun In-bum\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/08\/how-a-botched-military-probe-risks-eroding-south-korean-national-security\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/08\/how-a-botched-military-probe-risks-eroding-south-korean-national-security\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"johnleenknews\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/person\/b9766dba611638edc06a6e0b7078714d\"},\"headline\":\"How a botched military probe risks eroding South Korean national security\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-08-23T08:47:17+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-11-20T08:31:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/08\/how-a-botched-military-probe-risks-eroding-south-korean-national-security\/\"},\"wordCount\":1148,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"Culture & Society\",\"Defense & Security\",\"Domestic Politics\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Analysis\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/08\/how-a-botched-military-probe-risks-eroding-south-korean-national-security\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/08\/how-a-botched-military-probe-risks-eroding-south-korean-national-security\/\",\"name\":\"How a botched military probe risks eroding South Korean national security - KOREA PRO\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-08-23T08:47:17+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-11-20T08:31:00+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/08\/how-a-botched-military-probe-risks-eroding-south-korean-national-security\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/08\/how-a-botched-military-probe-risks-eroding-south-korean-national-security\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/08\/how-a-botched-military-probe-risks-eroding-south-korean-national-security\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How a botched military probe risks eroding South Korean national security\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/\",\"name\":\"KOREA PRO\",\"description\":\"Be smart about South Korea. Up-to-date analysis on foreign relations, politics, society and economy. Made by the producers of NK PRO and NK News.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"KOREA PRO\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/11\/logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/11\/logo.png\",\"width\":360,\"height\":50,\"caption\":\"KOREA PRO\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nknewsorg\/\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/southkoreapro\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How a botched military probe risks eroding South Korean national security - KOREA PRO","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/08\/how-a-botched-military-probe-risks-eroding-south-korean-national-security\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How a botched military probe risks eroding South Korean national security - KOREA PRO","og_description":"The tragic death of a 21-year-old South Korean marine, Corporal Chae Su-geun, during a mission in monsoon floods last month has exposed critical safety concerns and triggered a multifaceted investigation within the ROK armed forces.\u00a0 This incident has raised questions about the adequacy of safety measures, the scope of accountability and the potential repercussions for […]","og_url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/08\/how-a-botched-military-probe-risks-eroding-south-korean-national-security\/","og_site_name":"KOREA PRO","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nknewsorg\/","article_published_time":"2023-08-23T08:47:17+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-11-20T08:31:00+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/08\/feature-15.png","width":1024,"height":548,"type":"image\/png"}],"author":"johnleenknews","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@southkoreapro","twitter_site":"@southkoreapro","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Chun In-bum","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/08\/how-a-botched-military-probe-risks-eroding-south-korean-national-security\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/08\/how-a-botched-military-probe-risks-eroding-south-korean-national-security\/"},"author":{"name":"johnleenknews","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/person\/b9766dba611638edc06a6e0b7078714d"},"headline":"How a botched military probe risks eroding South Korean national security","datePublished":"2023-08-23T08:47:17+00:00","dateModified":"2023-11-20T08:31:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/08\/how-a-botched-military-probe-risks-eroding-south-korean-national-security\/"},"wordCount":1148,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization"},"keywords":["Culture & Society","Defense & Security","Domestic Politics"],"articleSection":["Analysis"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/08\/how-a-botched-military-probe-risks-eroding-south-korean-national-security\/","url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/08\/how-a-botched-military-probe-risks-eroding-south-korean-national-security\/","name":"How a botched military probe risks eroding South Korean national security - KOREA PRO","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#website"},"datePublished":"2023-08-23T08:47:17+00:00","dateModified":"2023-11-20T08:31:00+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/08\/how-a-botched-military-probe-risks-eroding-south-korean-national-security\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/08\/how-a-botched-military-probe-risks-eroding-south-korean-national-security\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/08\/how-a-botched-military-probe-risks-eroding-south-korean-national-security\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How a botched military probe risks eroding South Korean national security"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/","name":"KOREA PRO","description":"Be smart about South Korea. Up-to-date analysis on foreign relations, politics, society and economy. Made by the producers of NK PRO and NK News.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization","name":"KOREA PRO","url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/11\/logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/11\/logo.png","width":360,"height":50,"caption":"KOREA PRO"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nknewsorg\/","https:\/\/twitter.com\/southkoreapro"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2202064"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10407"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2202064"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2202064\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2202068,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2202064\/revisions\/2202068"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2202811"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2202064"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2202064"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2202064"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}