I think no matter what the evidence says this was something that was going to happen regardless because this is more about politics than fact finding:
South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo reads out a statement on Feb. 9, 2018, offering an apology for the military’s use of force against pro-democracy protesters in Gwangju in 1980. (Yonhap)
South Korea’s defense minister offered an official apology Friday for the military’s brutal use of force against pro-democracy protesters in Gwangju in 1980.
“As the minister of national defense, I offer a sincere apology and (words of) comfort to Gwangju citizens that our military has left suffering in the process of the May 18 Democratization Movement 38 years ago,” Song Young-moo said in a statement.
It came two days after the ministry’s special fact-finding team announced the results of five months of investigation into suspicions about the military’s role in the suppression of those protesting against the junta of Chun Doo-hwan.
The civilian-government panel said the Army launched helicopter gunship attacks on citizens in the southwestern city, with fighter jets armed with bombs on standby as a backup. The findings were based on the review of documents and interviews on witnesses. [Yonhap]
The Moon administration had previously said that they wanted to take over wartime operational control (OPCON) of military forces in the early 2020’s. Now the defense minister is saying they want to speed up the change over:
South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo, right, shakes hands with U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis.
Defense Minister Song Young-moo urged the military’s top brass on Tuesday to hasten preparations to take back Korea’s wartime operational control from the United States.
“The transfer is crucial to realize a reliable national defense suitable to Korea’s power and military capabilities,” Song said during a meeting at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, “and to defend the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula.”
He also urged the military to create a combined defense system with the United States under Korean leadership. The meeting was attended by about 200 senior officers of the Ministry of National Defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army, Navy and Air Force as well as key operational units of the military.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff said it has focused on preparing a command structure that will be used after the transfer and that it has worked to improve the military’s capabilities so it can lead combined operations with the United States, which is one of the agreed-upon prerequisites for the transfer, in addition to a stable environment and an ability by Korea to counter North Korean nuclear and missile threats. To verify that these prerequisites have been met, one preliminary evaluation and three assessments are required, but the Ministry of National Defense presented a plan last week to speed up the transfer by skipping the preliminary evaluation, which is scheduled for 2019, and beginning immediately with the first assessment that same year.
Reporting to Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon on Friday, the ministry said it will update its plan and discuss it with the United States at the Security Consultative Meeting in October.
Song’s request echoes the sentiment of President Moon Jae-in, who has pushed for an early transfer since taking office in May. In his summit in July with U.S. President Donald Trump, Moon made an agreement with Trump to continue working to “expeditiously enable the conditions-based transfer of wartime operational control.” [Joong Ang Ilbo]
One of ROK President Moon’s top priorities after taking office was to push for the early transfer of OPCON to ROK forces. The US government has pretty much told him that if he wants it he can have it, but the US side of the command will be downgraded to a three-star general.
It appears over the course of the Moon Jae-in presidency the South Korean military will be shrunk considerably:
South Korea’s military will reduce the number of troops to half a million by 2022 as part of a new round of defense reforms, the Ministry of National Defense said Friday.
The mandatory service period of rank-and-file soldiers will be shortened to 18 months from the current 21 months, according to the ministry’s report to Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon on its 2018 policies.
South Korea has 620,000 troops, including 483,000 Army service members, compared to North Korea’s 1.1 million armed forces.
The left-leaning Moon Jae-in administration has pushed for the so-called defense reform 2.0 aimed at making the nation’s military smaller but stronger.
It is seeking to expand the employment of civilians for non-combat missions, with more active-duty soldiers assigned to field operations. The number of general-grade officers, currently totaling around 430, will be adjusted. Some expect it to decrease by 70-80.
The ministry plans to complete a master plan for military reform by April for speedy legislative procedures. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
You can read more at the link, but I have to wonder where the saved money from the personnel costs will be going to?
Members of the ship salvage unit of the Navy’s First Fleet run before a maritime rescue drill off the eastern coastal city of Gangneung on Jan. 8, 2018, in this photo provided by the fleet. The drill is meant to help ensure the safe and successful hosting of the upcoming PyeongChang Winter Olympics and Paralympics. (Yonhap)
A new conscript gives a deep bow toward his parents during a ceremony at a boot camp in the city of Nonsan, 213 kilometers south of Seoul, on Jan. 2, 2018, to mark the camp’s reception of recruits for the first time this year. All able-bodied South Korean males are required to serve almost two years in the military. (Yonhap)
This reduction is likely caused by the bad behavior some ROK generals have been accused of in recent years. Regardless this is a huge drop in the number of general officers:
The Ministry of National Defense is pushing for a massive reduction in the number of generals as part of a military reform plan, government sources said Sunday.
The ministry is said to be preparing for a plan to gradually lower the quota of generals starting this year, possibly by 70-80, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. Currently, there are about 430 generals in the South Korean troops.
The Moon Jae-in government pledged to slim down the bloated top brass of the military. The previous Lee Myung-bak government had planned in 2011 to reduce the number of generals by 60, or 15 percent, by 2020. The plan was revised down to 40 under his successor Park Geun-hye. [Yonhap]
It seems that if the ROK wants to use their amphibious landing ships to project power from with their F-35B fighters they can find a way to modify the decks of the ships:
South Korea’s military has begun to consider operating F-35B stealth aircraft from its newest amphibious landing ship slated to be deployed in 2020, as part of efforts to strengthen its naval power, sources said Monday.
The authorities have recently discussed whether the second 14,000-ton Dokdo-class vessel can carry the F-35B fighter, a short takeoff and vertical landing variant of the U.S.-made fifth-generation warplane.
“I understand that the military top brass have recently discussed whether they can introduce a small number of F-35B fighters and operate them aboard the new ship that has already been deployed and one to be additionally built,” a military source told Yonhap News Agency, declining to be named.
“As far as I know, the idea is being weighed in light of maximizing the strategic value of the vessel’s capabilities,” he added.
The existing Dokdo ship is seen capable of operating only transport helicopters because its deck is not made of materials that can withstand high temperatures or friction caused by fighter jet operations.
“Considerations will continue about whether we can run F-35Bs by redesigning the decks of the Dokdo and the new ship that is being constructed,” another source said.
In 2014, Seoul decided to purchase 40 F-35A fighters for deployment from 2018 through 2021 at a cost of 7.3 trillion won (US$6.75 billion). The F-35A is the fighter’s air force variant, while the F-35B and F-35C are for marines and aircraft carrier-based operations, respectively. [Yonhap]
The ROK military is embracing the future of combat by using swarms of cheaply made and weaponized drones to attack enemy targets:
South Korean troops use reconnaissance drones during training in this file photo provided by the Korea Army Academy at Yeong-Cheon. (Yonhap)
South Korea’s Army will create a combat unit of weaponized drones next year to help counter North Korea’s threats, an official said Tuesday.
The Army calls the envisioned defense asset a “dronebot,” a combination of the words “drone” and “robot.”
“The Army plans to set up a special organization to lead the development of dronebots, establish a standard platform and expand the dronebot program by function,” the Army official said, requesting anonymity. “To begin with, we will launch a dronebot combat unit next year and use it as a ‘game changer’ in warfare.”
The team will operate reconnaissance dronebots against such core North Korean targets as nuclear and missile sites. In case of a contingency, swarms of dronebots will be mobilized to launch attacks. [Yonhap]
In today’s day and age you have to be careful about every word you say as the ROK Defense Minister recently found out:
Of all the remarks to boost the morale of South Korean soldiers protecting the inter-Korean border, he picks the wrong one.
Making a sexual remark may boost male soldiers’ morale, but Defense Minister Song Young-moo chose the wrong place at the wrong time when he visited the Joint Security Area (JSA) Monday.
Two weeks after a North Korean soldier was shot five times when he dramatically escaped to the South through the JSA in the Panmunjeom truce village, Song visited the scene.
Besides checking out the scene, he met and encouraged South Korean soldiers for managing the incident well.
Song met the soldiers at a lunch in a mess hall, where he arrived late.Being apologetic, he cut short his talk so the soldiers would not have to wait long before eating.
“It’s not fun to listen to someone haranguing on and on before a food table,” Song said.“People say that the shorter speeches and miniskirts are the better, right?”
The soldiers replied with a thunderous “Yes, sir.” Song finished his speech by saying he had come to the JSA to deliver the public’s praise for them for saving the badly wounded North Korean.
But Song’s “miniskirt” comment made headlines that suggested his choice of words was sexually offensive. [Korea Times]
You can read more at the link, but add that to the list of banned speech that you can’t tell people you like miniskirts.
Officials of South Korea’s peacekeeping troops and South Sudan take a photo on a downtown street in the city of Bor, South Sudan, on Nov. 24, 2017, after the installation of street lamps. Thirty solar-powered light-emitting diode lamps were erected along the street that marks the two countries’ friendship, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, which provided this photo. South Korea’s Hanbit unit has been engaged in U.N. peacekeeping operations in the African nation since 2013. (Yonhap)
