[Summary] Why Has the Disciplinary Severity for 'Swimming Defection' Changed Compared to 2 Years Ago?

General Park Jung-hwan, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, attended the National Defense Committee plenary session at the National Assembly on the 17th and reported on the situation of the defector from the 22nd Division. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The military held the 22nd Army Division Commander accountable for the border security failure in the case of a North Korean male’s ‘swimming defection’ and dismissed him from his post, while issuing a severe warning to the 8th Corps Commander.

The Ministry of National Defense announced on the 4th, "Based on the joint investigation results regarding situation response, sluice gate and drainage facility management, personnel actions were taken against 24 individuals involved."

Regarding the incident on the early morning of the 16th of last month, when a North Korean male defected by swimming near the Unification Observatory in Goseong, Gangwon Province, the military was criticized for a total border security failure as he passed through a drainage channel not listed in the management records, and despite the surveillance equipment alarm sounding twice, no response was made.

The 22nd Division Commander was dismissed from his post due to direct command responsibility for inadequate coastal border operations and negligence in supervising sluice gate and drainage channel management. Additionally, the brigade commander of the unit, former and current battalion commanders, and the East Sea Joint Operations Support Office Chief will be referred to the disciplinary committee for the same reasons.

Furthermore, 18 others with direct or indirect responsibility related to situation response and sluice gate and drainage channel management were delegated personnel actions by the Ground Operations Command. It is reported that one enlisted soldier is among them. The Ministry of National Defense stated that measures will be taken according to the severity of the mistakes. The 8th Corps Commander, as the superior commander, will receive a written severe warning from the Army Chief of Staff for overall command responsibility.

Regarding this disciplinary action, criticism has arisen inside and outside the military that the ‘punishment standards are inconsistent,’ comparing it to the June 2019 defection incident of a small North Korean boat at Samcheok Port, when the 8th Corps Commander was dismissed from his post. At that time, even then-Minister of National Defense Jeong Kyung-doo issued an ‘apology statement.’

A Ministry of National Defense official said, "At that time, the corps commander was held responsible for failing to supervise the division’s operations against ship infiltration, knowing the negligence, and for not operating the thermal observation device (TOD) during the day, judging the possibility of enemy infiltration to be low. The circumstances and responsibility differ from this case."

Meanwhile, during the 2012 Knock Defection, the 22nd Division Commander, 56th Regiment Commander, and 56-1 Battalion Commander were all dismissed from their posts. Later, in the 2020 defection and return incident of a defector at Yeonmijeong, Ganghwado, involving the Marine 2nd Division, the Marine Corps Commander received a caution, the Capital Corps Commander a written warning, and the Marine 2nd Division Commander and Marine 8th Brigade Commander were reprimanded for negligence in command supervision.

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