Looking into the 'Nam Chongjang Meeting Contents' Reported to the Human Rights Commission

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Army senior sergeants have filed a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission, claiming that Army Chief of Staff Nam Young-shin violated their personal rights. This is because Nam reportedly said, "Officers can speak informally to non-commissioned officers (NCOs)."

According to the complaint submitted to the Human Rights Commission on the 16th, "During a video conference with senior sergeants on December 21 last year, Chief Nam stated, 'There are officers who give orders informally even if they are younger, and this should be considered natural. If you are addressed with honorifics, you should actually feel grateful,' which infringed upon the personal rights of the NCOs."

In response, the Army denied the allegations, stating that "the content of the complaint is not true and distorts the context and intent of Chief Nam’s remarks by ignoring the circumstances before and after his statements."

An Army official further explained, "The point was that it is more important to respect rank and carry out orders rather than emphasizing age during mission execution," adding, "It does not mean that informal speech should be taken for granted."

According to military sources, Chief Nam said in the meeting, "Those who serve in the military relying on age are unforgivable," and "There are cases where younger officers use informal speech toward older NCOs and face complaints, but the culture of officers using honorifics toward NCOs exists only in South Korea worldwide, and this should be appreciated."

Chief Nam also said, "'NCOs are the owners of the unit,' and NCOs who handle all the tough tasks should take pride in their work and request rewards from commanders to foster pride among juniors."

He continued, "When managing conflicts with civilians due to firing ranges, if an NCO meets with the village head, the commander should appreciate it, and the NCO should be proud."

In particular, he emphasized, "I believe NCOs should also study, so starting this year, we have budgeted for 15 daytime commissioned bachelor degree students," adding, "NCOs should become respected by their juniors and children."

Meanwhile, the Human Rights Commission is currently investigating the exact circumstances related to this complaint.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.