6th Public Apology Seo Wook "Apologize to the People for Lack of Effort"

Minister of National Defense Seo Wook is attending the Cabinet meeting held at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 13th, listening to Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum's remarks. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Defense Minister Seo Wook acknowledged on the 20th that there were shortcomings on the part of the military authorities regarding the COVID-19 vaccination of the Cheonghae Unit.

Minister Seo held a press conference at the Ministry of National Defense that morning and stated, "Our military has actively promoted vaccination for all soldiers, including those deployed overseas, but there were shortcomings in the vaccination efforts for the Cheonghae Unit that set sail last February."

He said, "As the minister, I feel a heavy responsibility for the fact that many infections occurred because we could not take more meticulous care of the 34th Cheonghae Unit soldiers who have devoted themselves to the country and the people," and added, "I apologize to the families of the Cheonghae Unit members and to the public."

Minister Seo said, "We will review the quarantine measures for overseas deployed units so far and thoroughly supplement all necessary measures to ensure that all soldiers, including those deployed, can perform their duties safely and healthily," and bowed his head, saying, "Once again, I am sorry for causing great concern to the Cheonghae Unit soldiers, their families, and the public."

He added, "The Cheonghae Unit members have successfully completed their mission and will return through Seoul Airport this evening," and pledged, "The Ministry of National Defense will do its best to support their recovery at pre-designated hospitals and residential treatment centers upon arrival."

This is the sixth time Minister Seo has apologized since his inauguration last September, following incidents such as the failure to guard against North Korean defectors (February 17), controversies over poor meals and excessive quarantine measures (April 28), and the death of an Air Force non-commissioned officer due to sexual harassment (June 9 and 10, July 7).

Among the 301 crew members of the 34th Cheonghae Unit’s Munmu the Great ship, which set sail last February, a total of 247 (82.1%) have been confirmed infected so far. Among the confirmed cases were the captain and deputy captain of the Munmu the Great, and it is reported that 19 out of about 30 officers were infected. The remaining 50 tested negative, and 4 were classified as 'undetermined.'

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