Ministry of National Defense to Complete Audit of Cheonghae Unit Mass Infection by Next Month 6

[Asia Economy Military Specialist Yang Nak-gyu] The Ministry of National Defense on the 22nd began an audit regarding the Cheonghae Unit's mass infection incident, in which 90% of all unit members were confirmed to have COVID-19.

According to a Ministry of National Defense official, the Audit Office is deploying 10 personnel starting today to conduct an audit aimed at clarifying various suspicions raised about the Cheonghae Unit mass infection incident and to determine whether each agency responded appropriately.

The audit period is until the 6th of next month. However, if necessary, the period may be extended and the number of personnel deployed may be increased.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff, Navy Operations Command, Navy Headquarters, Armed Forces Medical Command, and relevant departments of the Ministry of National Defense, which are responsible for operational command and unit management of the Cheonghae Unit, are the subjects of the audit.

The Audit Office is known to plan to receive and analyze related materials from each target agency before conducting on-site inspections.

However, considering that the 34th Cheonghae Unit soldiers are in quarantine, it is reported that a non-face-to-face survey will be conducted for the time being.

An investigation into the route and cause of the coronavirus infiltration is also expected to take place.

The 34th Munmu the Great-class ship called at a neighboring African country from June 28 to July 1 for 3 nights and 4 days to load military supplies. At that time, contact with locals was strictly blocked, and no particular problems have been found so far.

Because of this, some speculate that some crew members may have left the ship without permission during the port call.

A Ministry of National Defense official said, “On-site investigation of the ship is limited regarding the infection route,” and added, “Separate from the epidemiological investigation by quarantine authorities, the coronavirus infiltration route will also be traced through statements from unit members.”

Furthermore, from the planning stage such as deployment preparation to actual deployment, overall aspects including unit operation, compliance with quarantine guidelines, and initial responses by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Ministry of National Defense, Medical Command, and other related agencies in case of incidents will be thoroughly reviewed.

Depending on the audit results, disciplinary actions against institutions or personnel found responsible are expected to be unavoidable.

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