[Defense Brief Column] Generals Who Forgot the Meaning of the Samjeongdo

When military commanders are promoted to general officers, they receive a sword called the ‘Samjeonggeom (三精劍)’ from the President, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. It is a kind of symbol representing the dream of a soldier to earn their ‘star.’ When promoted to ranks such as Major General, Lieutenant General, or General, the President personally attaches a purple tassel embroidered with the officer’s rank, name, and date to the handle of this Samjeonggeom. This emphasizes loyalty and patriotism to the country, as well as the responsibilities of a general. The most important virtue is responsibility. The higher the rank, the heavier the burden inevitably becomes.

The generals involved in the December 3 emergency martial law incident must have received the Samjeonggeom as well. However, it seems none of them truly embraced its meaning. There is no sense of responsibility, only grievances. As they keep voicing their grievances, they fall into self-contradiction and inconsistency. The former Special Forces Commander and former Capital Defense Command Commander, who led the December 3 emergency martial law incident, appeared in a YouTube interview with a lawmaker from an opposition party on the National Assembly’s Defense Committee and said they did not hear the term ‘emergency martial law’ at the time. They learned about the emergency martial law only from the President’s TV address and claimed they only followed the instructions of former Minister Kim Yong-hyun. This means they had no judgment as military commanders. Regarding the possibility of President Yoon Suk-yeol declaring a second emergency martial law, they said, “Even if such an order is given, we would refuse.” This can be interpreted as meaning they might refuse orders from the commander-in-chief in the future.

In their insistence on grievances, they even declassified confidential information themselves. Former Commander Kim Hyun-tae of the 707th Special Mission Group of the Special Forces said, “I wanted to tell all the truths I know when appearing before the National Assembly, but since there seemed to be no opportunity, I stood here,” voluntarily holding a press conference. He revealed faces and names, which are confidential information of strategic units. He also violated Ministry of National Defense regulations. Last August, former Marine Investigation Unit Commander Park Jung-hoon, who raised suspicions of external pressure in the case of the late Marine Corporal Chae, appeared on live TV without prior approval from military authorities and was disciplined with a ‘reprimand.’ They cannot be unaware of this. The generals even resorted to tears. Former 1st Airborne Special Forces Brigade Commander Lee Sang-hyun clenched his fist and eventually took off his glasses to wipe away tears with a handkerchief during an urgent inquiry at the National Assembly’s Defense Committee. Despite the generals’ tears, the public’s gaze was cold. It was called crocodile tears. There was also a humiliating scene. One Air Force general played a smartphone game during the full session of the National Assembly’s Defense Committee urgent inquiry. The live broadcast showed him playing a smartphone game, wiggling his toes after taking off his military boots.

Our military has long compared itself to the U.S. military when discussing welfare and pay raises. It was said that to become a strong military, we must learn from the U.S. military. But we are different from the U.S. military. We have neither responsible leaders nor commanders. Harry Truman, the 33rd President of the United States, placed a wooden plaque made of oak in the White House Oval Office inscribed with the phrase ‘The buck stops here.’ President Joe Biden, in his August 2021 White House address to the nation, defended the decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan and took responsibility for it.

In contrast, our commander-in-chief, President Yoon Suk-yeol, is resisting judicial procedures and refusing summonses from investigative agencies. The generals still wear expressions of grievance. Soldiers and the public cannot hide their sense of emptiness. After 45 years since the October 26 incident, seeing the military once again reduced to a tool of violence and hearing generals hurriedly offer excuses such as “I didn’t know” and “I tried my best not to carry out the orders” only deepens anger and disappointment.

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