South Korea: Rising Concerns Over Military Readiness Amid General Suspensions Following Martial Law
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Seoul, Dec 12 (NationPress) Worries are intensifying in South Korea regarding the military's state of emergency preparedness against North Korean threats, as several Generals and commanders have faced removal or suspension due to their possible roles in last week's brief martial law declaration.
Alongside former Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun, who resigned and was arrested for allegedly playing a pivotal role in President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law announcement on December 3, six Generals have been suspended due to their involvement. This includes the leaders of the Defence Intelligence, Capital Defense, and Special Warfare commands.
In the most recent action taken on Thursday, the Defence Ministry decided to suspend Army Chief of Staff General Park An-su, who was the Chief martial law commander during the short-lived martial law period.
Immediately following the martial law declaration, a military decree prohibiting all political activities was issued under Park's authority. Park has claimed that he was not responsible for the creation of this document.
The suspensions have created a leadership void within key warfare units -- namely the Capital Defence Command, Army Special Warfare Command, Counterintelligence Command, and Defence Intelligence Command.
These commands are viewed as essential for military operations against North Korea, tasked with safeguarding the greater Seoul area, gathering military intelligence domestically and internationally, and executing special operations against adversarial forces.
Following Kim's exit, Choi Byung-hyuk, a retired Army General currently serving as the ambassador to Saudi Arabia, has been appointed as the new Defence Minister. However, it remains uncertain when a parliamentary confirmation hearing for Choi's appointment will occur, as reported by Yonhap news agency.
Adding to the uncertainties is that the overall command of the armed forces still resides with President Yoon.
Jeon Ha-kyou, the Defence Ministry's spokesperson, stated during a regular briefing on Monday, a day after the president was listed as a suspect in insurrection charges, "Legally, (the control of military forces) currently lies with the commander in chief."
When questioned about the worries concerning military readiness in light of the martial law fallout, the Defence Ministry continues to assert that there is 'no insufficiency' in maintaining a robust operational and readiness stance.
"(The ministry) has clearly designated substitutes who are fulfilling their responsibilities," Jeon added in a press briefing earlier.
"Under this command structure, field and operations units are currently executing their duties and no insufficiency is believed to exist concerning their readiness and operational posture," he continued.
Breaking a weeklong silence, Pyongyang's state media on Wednesday reported on South Korea's martial law upheaval for the first time, followed by a series of reports on the issue the next day.
The state media's coverage included the opposition's efforts to impeach Yoon, along with accusations against the president for inciting nationwide disorder. Images of candlelight demonstrations were also featured.
As of this month, North Korea has not engaged in any reported military provocations against the South, having previously sent around 40 trash-filled balloons over the border in late November.
