Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

“After discussions, we judged that there is no limitation. The same was true of other corps,” said Kim Seong-il, commander of the Army’s 6th Corps, who took charge of the removal of land mines in the Arrowhead Ridge and the South-North road connection project in November, stressing that there will be no problem if the military readiness posture remains firm like it does today. “Our soldiers are smart. I saw them doing their best on duty despite the changing circumstances,” Kim said delivering the voices from soldiers of the front.

“You can see that there is no limitation when you visit the front in person,” said Kim Jong-wun, commander of the Army’s 3rd Field Army.

The Navy also agreed with this statement. “Among the tasks included in the agreement, the maritime-related tasks have been proceeding normally. There is no limitation,” said Lee Jong-ho, commander of the 2nd Fleet.

“Setting a no-fly zone can lead to a reduction in image collection, but we can minimize the surveillance vacuum by maintaining close cooperation with the U.S. and employing the Republic of Korea-U.S. surveillance and reconnaissance military power in an efficient manner,” Kim Jeong-il, commander of the Air Force Air Mobility and Reconnaissance, said with confidence. “During a joint on-site visit, I saw for myself the empathy and support from the Military Armistice Commission and the Neutral National Supervisory Commission members with regard to the Sept. 19 Military Agreement,” said Shin Sang-beom, head of the United Nations Command Military Armistice Commission (UNCMAC), stressing that close cooperation should be maintained. “I felt the agreement has not been clearly figured out even in our military. There will be a meeting of commanders to educate the military and ensure that the subordinate units understand the details systematically,” said Lee Wang-geun, Air Force Chief of Staff.

“The Joint Chiefs of Staff held a commander-level meeting to discuss what kind of difficulties and limitations they had so far,” said Park Han-ki, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “There were few substantial limitations, and where there were any, they were minor and endurable.” Park also added that countermeasures against limitations have already been devised.

Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo said, “Some factors influence the implementation of the agreement. Despite this, all the military leaders, including the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the chief commander of each force, attending this meeting should supplement and modify them to wisely overcome them,” stressing that what they are doing becomes more valuable.

At the meeting on Wednesday, the military leaders also had discussions on how to incorporate ‘fourth industrial revolution’ technologies in the military. “Among the 42 tasks included in the Defense Reform 2.0 project, 11 tasks are connected with smart technologies, characterizing the fourth industrial revolution at first hand and 13 tasks are connected with it at second hand. Together, these 24 tasks account for 57% of the 42 tasks of Defense Reform 2.0, showing that fourth industrial revolution technologies are being applied to complete the defense reform project,” said Kwon Hyeok-jin, an official with the Information Planning Division of the Ministry of National Defense.

“A scientific training system can enhance the efficiency of training once it is well applied, despite the shortened mandatory military service period,” Minister Jeong said, stressing that while it is hard to conduct hands-on training exercises in the weapons system, training that is similar to real combat can be provided using simulators, and virtual joint operations will not only have the same effect but also upgrade the combat capability.

By Su-Yeol, Maeng <guns13@dema.mil.kr >

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