Eom Dong-hwan, Director of Defense Acquisition Program Administration, "Aware of A-Tacums Tracking Failure Through Media Reports"

Harsh Criticism Over Failed Hyunmoo and SM-2 Missile Launches at Defense Acquisition Program Administration Audit

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] At the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) audit, criticism continued regarding the recent failures in launching the Hyunmoo-2C and SM-2 naval surface-to-air missiles.

According to DAPA, the military has fired 36 SM-2 missiles from 2004 to this year, of which 11 failed to hit their targets. Among the 11 misses, 6 were identified as caused by missile guidance defects.

The Hyunmoo-2C crashed inside a nearby air force base after abnormal flight during a late-night South Korea-U.S. joint response firing exercise on the 4th.

Regarding this, Kim Byung-joo, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, raised repeated suspicions of 'cover-up,' stating that the propulsion unit fell near the airfield’s fuel storage tank, causing sparks in electrical wiring and creating a dangerous situation, yet the military did not respond properly nor disclose the situation accurately.

On the other hand, ruling party lawmakers expressed concerns about the morale of the research team following the Hyunmoo-2 missile drop accident.

Shin Won-sik, a member of the People Power Party, expressed concern, saying, "The main forces of the 'kill chain' and 'KMPR (Massive Punishment and Retaliation)' responding to North Korean nuclear and missile threats are high-power ballistic missiles, but there are reports that the developers of high-power ballistic missiles are suffering from excessive audits due to the Hyunmoo-2C missile drop." He added, "The head of DAPA should politically prevent imposing excessive responsibility on developers."

There were also criticisms that follow-up measures were insufficient regarding one of the two ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) tactical surface-to-surface missiles losing tracking signals during flight in the South Korea-U.S. joint response firing exercise. Notably, DAPA Administrator Eom Dong-hwan and Director Park Jong-seung stated at the audit that they learned about the ATACMS tracking signal loss through media reports.

In response to a question from Song Gap-seok of the Democratic Party asking whether the Korean side has the authority to investigate the malfunction cause, Director Park replied, "It is a difficult issue," adding, "ATACMS is American-made and sealed, so we do not know what happened." Additionally, there was criticism that during the SM-2 live-fire training conducted by the Navy in the waters off Hawaii in July, one of two missiles failed to intercept the target.

There were also numerous criticisms that the stealth fighter F-35A has not been equipped with live ammunition for its cannon since its introduction.

Assemblyman Lim Byung-heon pointed out, "It is regrettable to have purchased the F-35A and, for three years, only carried dummy rounds without ever firing live ammunition." Shin Won-sik also argued, "The cannon is the last means of self-defense after all other armaments are depleted, and although the defects of the F-35A cannon are well known, live ammunition must be retained to prepare for emergencies."

Administrator Eom responded, "The impact on the aircraft when firing the F-35A cannon has not been fully resolved, so the U.S. does not supply live ammunition to operating countries," but added, "We will strive to ensure live ammunition is supplied to prepare for worst-case scenarios where firing despite aircraft damage is necessary."

Meanwhile, during the morning session of the audit, Administrator Eom initially denied that former National Security Office Deputy Director Shin In-ho had called regarding DAPA staff issues during his tenure, but later corrected himself and apologized in the afternoon.

He had responded to a related question from Kim Young-bae of the Democratic Party that he had never received such a call. However, as the afternoon session resumed, he requested to make a correction to Chairman Lee Heun-seung, saying, "When asked in the morning if there was a call inquiring about promotion or a request, I answered no. I apologize for the careless response."

Administrator Eom said, "I recall it was a routine, courteous call, like a polite request." Former Deputy Director Shin resigned abruptly on August 7 due to personal reasons.

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