Yoo Yongwon: "Dummy Shell Explosion Was a Man-Made Disaster... Storage Life Far Exceeded"

Calls for New Shell Development After Series of Accidents
"Ministry of National Defense and Military Take No Real Action...Complacency"

On September 16, Yoo Yongwon, a member of the People Power Party, commented on the recent explosion of a "sound effect simulation shell" (dummy shell) during a non-firing drill with a K9 self-propelled howitzer at an Army artillery unit in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. He stated, "This incident was not a simple accident or an act of God, but rather a man-made disaster that could have been fully prevented." He added, "A full-scale inspection of all dummy shells must be conducted immediately, and all safety guidelines and handling manuals need to be completely revised."

Yoo, a member of the National Assembly's National Defense Committee, held a press conference at the National Assembly that morning. Citing data submitted by the Ministry of National Defense, he revealed, "In relation to the incident, dummy shells that had far exceeded their storage life were not discarded but used, and precautions and safety measures were not properly communicated or checked at the lower unit level."

Previously, on September 10, at an Army artillery unit in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, an accident occurred during a non-firing drill with a K9 self-propelled howitzer, in which a large number of sound effect dummy shells reportedly exploded abnormally. These shells are used in training to simulate the sound and smoke of firearms. As a result of the accident, 10 out of 12 soldiers participating in the drill suffered burns and other injuries.

According to Yoo, there have been a total of five incidents involving these dummy shells, including the most recent one. A notable feature is that the same type of accident has repeatedly occurred in specific units. On August 21, 2021, at an artillery unit under a division in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, a dummy shell exploded during training at the Army's Korea Combat Training Center (KCTC), injuring one soldier. The cause of this accident was presumed to be static electricity from the plastic packaging and the accumulation of static during distribution.

The second accident occurred the very next day, on August 22, at the same unit and training ground. While inserting a dummy shell into a 105mm towed gun simulator, an explosion occurred, resulting in a soldier suffering burns to his finger. The third accident took place in August 2022 at the same artillery unit where the recent incident occurred. During a battery tactical drill, 54 dummy shells were used, but only eight functioned properly while 46 failed to detonate. Of these, two shells exploded for unknown reasons, injuring two soldiers. The fourth accident happened in February of this year at the unit where the first and second incidents took place. Although there were no casualties, 46 out of 129 dummy shells used failed to detonate.

Notably, all the dummy shells that caused this series of accidents had exceeded their designated storage life. Yoo stated, "All of the problematic shells had far surpassed their three-year storage life, and the shell involved in last week's accident was delivered in 2015, exceeding its storage life by seven years." He continued, "Although the military claims that shells can be used beyond their storage life, it is questionable whether proper interim inspections, disposal, and return procedures were followed."

Despite the raised need to develop new dummy shells with enhanced safety features, Yoo pointed out that neither the Ministry of National Defense nor the military had taken any substantial action. He stated, "Although internal reports from various units repeatedly emphasized the need for new dummy shells after each accident, the Ministry of National Defense and military authorities have taken no real action." He added, "I cannot help but strongly suspect that our military has fallen into a collective disregard for safety."

In response, Yoo called on the military to: conduct a full-scale inspection of all dummy shells; revise safety guidelines and handling manuals for dummy shells; and begin development of new, safer dummy shells. He emphasized, "Through a comprehensive inspection, any shells that have exceeded their storage life and are even slightly questionable must be completely retrieved and disposed of." He also pointed out, "The safety of training materials is not the responsibility of individual soldiers, but a matter that the Ministry of National Defense and military authorities must take full responsibility for and resolve."

Yoo declared, "I say this firmly to Minister of National Defense Ahn Kyubaek and the chiefs of each military branch: Never again should the safety of soldiers be threatened due to irresponsible management and complacent responses by higher commands." He warned, "If patchwork solutions and avoidance of responsibility continue, the public and soldiers will no longer trust our military, and this will directly lead to a decline in trust and combat readiness across the entire armed forces."