The military authorities recently dismissed the 22nd Army Division commander for responsibility for the failure to guard against a North Korean man's'swimming defection' incident.
In addition, large-scale personnel measures were implemented for 24 persons in total, such as a severe warning to the 8th Corps commander.
The Ministry of National Defense today (4th) announced the'personnel measures related to the 22nd Division's coastal defection (estimated)'.
The 22nd Division Commander (Major) was dismissed by taking responsibility for direct command responsibility for the lack of coastal boundary and anti-invasive operations, and for neglect of the supervision of water gates and drains.
The brigade commander, former and successor battalion commander of the unit, and the head of the Donghae Joint Operations Support Center are also referred to the disciplinary committee together with the division commander Pyo for the same reason.
The Chief of Staff of the Army is scheduled to give a stern warning in writing to the commander of the 8th Corps (Lt. General) Kang Chang-gu, the commander of the senior unit, for the command responsibility for the lack of coastal boundary and anti-invasive operations.
In addition, for 18 people who are directly or indirectly responsible for the situational action process and the management of floodgates and drains, personnel actions have been delegated to the Ground Operations Command.
It is said that this also included one soldier.
An official from the Ministry of Defense explained, "Based on the results of the joint investigation between the joint chief and the branch company, we decided to take personnel measures for 24 people concerned according to the degree of errors identified, such as the actual status of the mission, the situational action process, and the management of the water gate and drainage line boundary facilities." I did.
However, some point out that it is not fair to say that it has been a written warning against the commander of the 8th Corps.
Two years ago, when the North Korean small wooden ship entered the port of Samcheok, the Ministry of Defense held a strict warning against the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and dismissed the 8th Corps commander.
The commander of the 23rd Division of the Army and the commander of the 1st Fleet of the Navy were reprimanded.
A military official said, "The North Korean wooden ship case is a case where the 8th Corps commander's error is identified, such as requiring the operation of the thermal imaging equipment (TOD) only during the daytime," and said, "This is the only case of dismissal of the commander of the corps. I didn't have it."
In connection with the incident in which a North Korean man traveled to the coast near the Unification Observation Deck in Goseong, Gangwon-do in the early morning of the 16th of last month, he passed a drainage channel that was not on the management list and the alarm sound of the surveillance equipment sounded twice, but the military did not respond to it. It was pointed out that it was a failure.