In the Parliament Debating Martial Law, Air Force Generals Engage in Heated Debate While Immersed in Games...

Controversy Arises as Gaming Scene Captured Live in Meeting Room
Netizens Divided Over General Jangseong's Behavior

During the recess of an emergency National Assembly inquiry session related to the martial law situation, a scene was captured of an Air Force two-star general taking off his military boots and playing a smartphone game, drawing mixed reactions from netizens.

On the afternoon of the 10th, a full meeting on the martial law situation was held at the National Assembly Defense Committee. Attendees included Acting Minister of National Defense Kim Seon-ho, Army Chief of Staff Park An-su who served as the martial law commander, former Special Forces Commander Kwak Jong-geun, 707 Special Mission Group Commander Kim Hyun-tae, Capital Defense Command Commander Lee Jin-woo, Military Counterintelligence Command Chief of Staff Lee Kyung-min, and Intelligence Command Commander Moon Sang-ho. The meeting extended past midnight amid heated debates over the timing of the martial law declaration, deployment procedures, key missions, and President Yoon Seok-yeol’s directives.

During the recess of the National Assembly's emergency urgent inquiry session related to the martial law situation, a scene was captured of an Air Force two-star general taking off his military boots and playing a game on his smartphone, drawing mixed reactions from netizens. National Assembly TV

At around 7:40 p.m., when the meeting was briefly recessed, a two-star general from the Air Force was caught on camera playing a smartphone game, wiggling his toes in socks after removing his military boots following dinner. This scene was broadcast live via YouTube live streams such as National Assembly Broadcasting. After about five minutes of gaming, when an official entering the meeting room pointed to the camera to inform him of the live broadcast, he put down his smartphone, straightened his posture, and glanced once toward the camera.

The meeting resumed around 9 p.m., and meanwhile, news of the Air Force general’s smartphone gaming spread through online communities and media reports. At around 1 a.m. on the 11th, ahead of the Defense Committee’s adjournment, Democratic Party lawmaker Ahn Kyu-baek strongly reprimanded the general. Ahn said to the general, “The country is in chaos due to martial law declared for the first time in 45 years. The minister is detained, and the president faces arrest on charges of rebellion.” He added, “Who is the person playing games on a smartphone right now? Are you out of your mind?” A live broadcast on a major terrestrial broadcaster’s YouTube channel showed the general bowing his head deeply as he was criticized by Ahn.

On the 11th, around 1 a.m., Ahn Gyu-baek, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, strongly criticized the general in question ahead of the adjournment of the National Defense Committee. MBC News

Netizens’ opinions are divided over the general’s behavior. Some commented, “Even if it was recess, given the gravity of the situation, he should have been more cautious,” “This scene shows how clueless the military is right now,” and “Playing games during such a serious martial law situation is unacceptable.” On the other hand, some defended him, saying, “No matter how much of a general, you can’t resist Friends Pop (the game he was playing),” “That general is an Air Force two-star and has nothing to do with this martial law situation,” “It’s okay to play games during break time, what’s the problem?” “Honestly, he must have been bored sitting in the Defense Committee for over 12 hours with no relation to martial law,” and “He was the only one who brought some laughter to the frustrating Defense Committee meeting.”

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