"Unwanted Training with No Compensation"… Military Officer Complains About 'Drinking Party' and Faces Backlash

Active Captain Criticizes Military Guidelines After Drinking Party
Overtime Not Recognized as Combat Leave but as Substitute Leave
Complaints About Unwanted Training Without Support
"What Unwanted Training?" "What's the Problem?" Criticism Also Raised

Military officers drinking alcohol in the auditorium after the Korea-US training [Captured from Yukdaejeon]

Amidst fierce criticism over military officers holding a drinking party at a ROK-US training site, an active-duty officer who participated in the training posted a message criticizing the training guidelines and faced backlash.

On the 18th, the military authorities and the Facebook community ‘Delivering Army Training Center News’ received a post from Captain A, an active-duty officer who participated in the controversial ROK-US joint exercise ‘Freedom Shield’ (FS).

He began by referring to previously reported issues about drinking during training and compensation for days off. Captain A stated, "On the last day of the training, all the daytime personnel were from other units, and the purpose was to foster camaraderie and commend the hardships endured during training," adding, "As a member of the night shift, I raised concerns, but it was carried out regardless." Subsequently, a report was filed with the administrative support unit, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff dispatched personnel to investigate the incident. Captain A conveyed that the 14 individuals caught are currently on standby.

Captain A pointed out, "Those caught drinking will receive punishment according to military regulations, but the compensation guidelines for officers and soldiers after the training are completely absurd." He added, "Although I have not personally seen the official document, there is not a single mention of leave desired by the soldiers, and officers are only given substitute leave instead of combat leave, with not even one hour of overtime recognized." He explained, "Substitute leave is meant as compensation for training conducted on weekends or public holidays, so providing it as compensation for 12 hours of training on a weekday is unreasonable."

He especially criticized, "They held unwanted training and gaslighted us by saying we should take pride in participating in such an important exercise," continuing, "Only the officers caught drinking are being publicly scrutinized, proper support during training is not provided, and compensation for training is not given. I believe this dirty Ministry of National Defense should also be brought into public discussion, so I am reporting this."

Training scenes of our military. Unrelated to the content of the article. [Photo by Ministry of National Defense]

Netizens criticized Captain A’s post. One netizen said, "The phrase ‘held unwanted training’ makes me think a lot," and questioned, "Do you do training because you want to, and not do it if you don’t? What would you say if your troops complained about unwanted training when you are a commander?" Another netizen commented, "What’s the problem with substitute leave or combat leave? I also did the same training and was on the night shift, but now I’m enjoying sweet time with my family during my leave." There were also remarks such as "An officer who is a professional soldier is very short-sighted," and "These days, going to the military is no longer a duty but a place to earn money and enjoy benefits."

Earlier, around midnight on the 13th, about ten Army officers and non-commissioned officers were caught drinking in the auditorium of the Air Force 10th Fighter Wing (10th FW) located in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. The officers who drank were reinforcement personnel for the FS exercise dispatched to the ROK-US Combined Forces Command, including field-grade officers (majors). The Air Force 10th FW was their training site and accommodation. The auditorium where the drinking party took place was prepared as a rest area for FS exercise participants, and although many soldiers came and went, they reportedly continued drinking without concern.

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