Launch of Joint Committee on 'Byeongyeong Culture Improvement' Delayed... Committee Member List Remains Confidential

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter]The launch ceremony of the 'Civil-Military Joint Committee' for improving military culture, originally scheduled for the 25th, has been postponed to the 28th.

The Ministry of National Defense announced on the 24th, "During discussions with the committee members, it was judged that more time was needed to prepare, including the composition of the committee."

The joint committee was established following the death of an Air Force non-commissioned officer, after President Moon Jae-in instructed on the 7th, saying "We cannot just let this pass," to set up a military culture improvement body involving civilians.

It is composed of four subcommittees: protection of soldiers' human rights and organizational culture, prevention of sexual violence and protection of victims, soldiers' living conditions, and improvement of military criminal procedures and public defender system. Each subcommittee includes related experts, active-duty and reserve soldiers, female soldiers, cooks and supply officers, university professors, civilian lawyers, and reserve military legal officers.

However, concerns have been raised that with as many as 20 members per subcommittee, it might be merely a 'show' from the start.

Regarding this, a Ministry of National Defense official told reporters the day before, "The total number exceeds 70 across the four subcommittees," explaining that 60% of them are civilian members. However, it is known that the Ministry is also considering increasing the proportion of civilian members along with the postponement of the launch ceremony.

The official said, "To improve discussion efficiency, teams will be divided within each subcommittee to share tasks," adding, "Since this is not led by the Ministry of National Defense but by civilian members who should promote institutional improvements from the public's perspective, we plan to have an in-depth discussion on the process at the first meeting."

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