Gidongmin: "Ministry of National Defense Took No Disciplinary Action for Illegal Drug Purchases"

"'Strict Response to Drug Crimes in the Military' Possible or Doubtful?"

As narcotics have infiltrated military barracks, the military authorities are imposing lenient punishments on soldiers who illegally purchase and possess drugs. It has been revealed that the military authorities have neither taken judicial action nor disciplinary measures against soldiers who illegally purchased and possessed drugs, leading to criticism that the Ministry of National Defense's declaration to strictly punish drug crimes within the military has become meaningless.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the "Recent 5-Year Army Drug Case Handling Status" disclosed on the 25th by Democratic Party lawmaker Ki Dong-min, a member of the National Defense Committee, based on data submitted by the Ministry of National Defense, there were 13 drug-related cases handled, but only 5 resulted in disciplinary action. Among the 8 cases without disciplinary action, in 2 cases, prosecutors indicated the facts of the charges through suspension of indictment, but disciplinary committees were not even convened.

Reviewing the non-prosecution statements for the 2 cases without disciplinary action, in the case of Sergeant A, who suffered from sleep disorders, he expressed intent to purchase psychotropic drugs through a sleep medication sales website and transferred 200,000 KRW to the account. Sergeant B decided to purchase an aphrodisiac containing methamphetamine for the sake of a harmonious family life and paid 400,000 KRW. Sergeant A was given a suspension of indictment considering his intention to perform normal duties and his usual diligent work attitude, and Sergeant B was given the same considering the purpose was not criminal but for a harmonious family life. However, the military prosecutors handling the cases recommended "disciplinary referral to the unit" while suspending indictment. Although judicial punishment was not imposed, they recommended that the unit hold a disciplinary committee to impose disciplinary measures.

The problem is that in both cases, the unit commanders, who have the authority to discipline, did not convene disciplinary committees, so even administrative punishment was not carried out. According to the "Act on the Control of Narcotics," simple possession and purchase of drugs can be punished by imprisonment of up to 5 years or a fine of up to 50 million KRW. In fact, in 2015, when a public official in Gyeonggi Province purchased an aphrodisiac online for the purpose of a harmonious family life, he received a fine and a minor disciplinary action. This means that the military applies a more lenient standard to drug crimes compared to general public officials.

Lawmaker Ki pointed out, "Although the Ministry of National Defense emphasized strict response to drug crimes by even forming a task force, I have doubts about whether this is possible in a situation where leniency and protecting one's own people are rampant within the military," and emphasized, "Since the military handles firearms, explosives, and classified documents, drug crimes can cause loss of combat power and potentially lead to human casualties, so strict punishment is necessary to raise awareness."

In response to the controversy over the inflow and spread of narcotics within the military, the Ministry of National Defense formed the "Military Narcotics Control Measures Task Force" in May, consisting of three divisions: drug crime investigation and crackdown, narcotics inflow blocking and management, and soldier prevention education, and announced it would take strict measures. In particular, Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-seop, during a review of the first anniversary of the Military Court Act enforcement in July, stated, "Drug crimes and military secret leaks within the barracks undermine military discipline and benefit the enemy," and ordered strict punishment, instructing that drug crimes within the military be handled strictly together with military secret leaks.

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