Five Members of the Joint Committee on Military Service Culture Improvement Resign in a Row

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Five members of the civilian-government-military joint committee (hereafter Joint Committee), launched to improve military culture, have consecutively expressed their intention to resign. According to sources inside and outside the military, the members felt that participating was meaningless as the military continued to give insincere answers on unfavorable issues during meetings.

According to the Ministry of National Defense on the 20th, the Joint Committee was established as a countermeasure organization following the death of a victim of sexual harassment in the Air Force. Former Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission Chairperson Park Eun-jung and Minister of National Defense Seo Wook serve as co-chairpersons, and about 80 members, including civilian experts and civic groups, were appointed to four subcommittees.

However, immediately after the Joint Committee was launched on June 28, two members suddenly resigned citing personal reasons. Then, 45 days after its launch, on the 12th, a female naval officer who reported sexual harassment died.

The Joint Committee convened an emergency temporary meeting on the 17th, five days after the female naval officer’s death, but dissatisfaction among members began to grow. The military gave insincere answers to members’ questions about the incident, citing “ongoing investigation” as the reason. Ultimately, three female members affiliated with civic groups expressed their intention to resign, stating that the Joint Committee was merely “for show” and would not produce substantial measures for victims.

In response, Chairperson Park said, "It is not true that the resignation intentions of some members reflect discord within the entire Joint Committee, and I deeply regret this. No matter how shocking the situation is, the public and the media should not simply criticize and attack the military but should strive to help the military regain its footing."

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