Recently, I spoke with an employee of a defense company who expressed feelings of frustration and injustice. The employee works for a firm that produces cluster munitions, which have been labeled as "devil's weapons" by the media and the public, leading to a sense of dismay.
The employee lamented that they feel categorized as part of a group associated with evil, which has tarnished their pride in working in the defense sector.
The term "cluster bomb" evokes fear due to its destructive capability. It is generally understood that a single bomb can indiscriminately devastate an area equivalent to three soccer fields, as it contains dozens or even hundreds of submunitions. Particularly concerning are the unexploded submunitions that remain like landmines, posing risks to civilians, especially children.
Globally referred to as "steel rain," why has South Korea adopted the term "devil's weapon" for cluster munitions? If we consider destructive power and mass casualty potential, nuclear weapons would undoubtedly rank as the top "devil's weapon."
I searched for instances of the term "devil's weapon" in past media articles. The earliest reference I found dates back to around 2005, when a domestic news agency cited North Korean broadcasts claiming that U.S. forces were storing neutron bombs and depleted uranium munitions, labeling them as "20th-century devil's weapons." However, cluster munitions were not included in that context.
After a period of silence, the term resurfaced in March 2022, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with numerous domestic reports stating that "Russia has deployed devil's weapon cluster munitions." It is reported that the failure rate of Russian cluster munitions is as high as 40%. In June of last year and again in April, articles emerged stating that Iran attacked Israel with "devil's weapon cluster munitions."
Since around March 2022, South Korean media has classified cluster munitions as "devil's weapons," likely to emphasize the unjust nature of Russia's unilateral and inhumane invasion of Ukraine.
Currently, the international community prohibits the development, production, and use of cluster munitions. The Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM), adopted by over 120 countries including the UK, France, and Germany in 2008, officially came into force in 2010. However, countries like the United States, Russia, China, Iran, Israel, and Poland have not joined, and both North and South Korea have refrained from participating due to their divided and militarized circumstances.
The international standard for cluster munitions currently stands at a failure rate of about 1%. The cluster munitions produced in South Korea maintain a significantly lower failure rate, and the unexploded submunitions are designed to activate self-destruction mechanisms after a certain period. While recognized internationally as some of the most reliable cluster munitions, their export is currently prohibited under government policy.
The production of cluster munitions by some domestic defense companies is driven by North Korea's ongoing development of cluster munitions using missiles and artillery. In April, North Korea announced that it successfully tested a short-range ballistic missile, the Hwasong-11 (KN-23), equipped with cluster warheads, claiming that a single cluster munition could devastate an area equivalent to ten soccer fields, suggesting a power level nearly three times that of South Korean cluster munitions.
In response to North Korea's cluster munitions, it is unavoidable that South Korea must develop more advanced cluster munitions. These are currently developed and produced under strict government control, positioned as a reliable weapon system to protect South Korea in the event of an attack from the North. This aligns with current discussions on cost-effectiveness.
If employees of defense companies producing cluster munitions feel discomfort due to such terminology, it raises concerns that military personnel operating these weapon systems may also struggle to escape this psychological burden.
Given the direct involvement of the South Korean military and defense industry employees, a different expression may be necessary. The use of weapon systems can oscillate between "angel's judgment" and "devil's curse" depending on who creates and how they are used.
The employee lamented that they feel categorized as part of a group associated with evil, which has tarnished their pride in working in the defense sector.
The term "cluster bomb" evokes fear due to its destructive capability. It is generally understood that a single bomb can indiscriminately devastate an area equivalent to three soccer fields, as it contains dozens or even hundreds of submunitions. Particularly concerning are the unexploded submunitions that remain like landmines, posing risks to civilians, especially children.
Globally referred to as "steel rain," why has South Korea adopted the term "devil's weapon" for cluster munitions? If we consider destructive power and mass casualty potential, nuclear weapons would undoubtedly rank as the top "devil's weapon."
I searched for instances of the term "devil's weapon" in past media articles. The earliest reference I found dates back to around 2005, when a domestic news agency cited North Korean broadcasts claiming that U.S. forces were storing neutron bombs and depleted uranium munitions, labeling them as "20th-century devil's weapons." However, cluster munitions were not included in that context.
After a period of silence, the term resurfaced in March 2022, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with numerous domestic reports stating that "Russia has deployed devil's weapon cluster munitions." It is reported that the failure rate of Russian cluster munitions is as high as 40%. In June of last year and again in April, articles emerged stating that Iran attacked Israel with "devil's weapon cluster munitions."
Since around March 2022, South Korean media has classified cluster munitions as "devil's weapons," likely to emphasize the unjust nature of Russia's unilateral and inhumane invasion of Ukraine.
Currently, the international community prohibits the development, production, and use of cluster munitions. The Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM), adopted by over 120 countries including the UK, France, and Germany in 2008, officially came into force in 2010. However, countries like the United States, Russia, China, Iran, Israel, and Poland have not joined, and both North and South Korea have refrained from participating due to their divided and militarized circumstances.
The international standard for cluster munitions currently stands at a failure rate of about 1%. The cluster munitions produced in South Korea maintain a significantly lower failure rate, and the unexploded submunitions are designed to activate self-destruction mechanisms after a certain period. While recognized internationally as some of the most reliable cluster munitions, their export is currently prohibited under government policy.
The production of cluster munitions by some domestic defense companies is driven by North Korea's ongoing development of cluster munitions using missiles and artillery. In April, North Korea announced that it successfully tested a short-range ballistic missile, the Hwasong-11 (KN-23), equipped with cluster warheads, claiming that a single cluster munition could devastate an area equivalent to ten soccer fields, suggesting a power level nearly three times that of South Korean cluster munitions.
In response to North Korea's cluster munitions, it is unavoidable that South Korea must develop more advanced cluster munitions. These are currently developed and produced under strict government control, positioned as a reliable weapon system to protect South Korea in the event of an attack from the North. This aligns with current discussions on cost-effectiveness.
If employees of defense companies producing cluster munitions feel discomfort due to such terminology, it raises concerns that military personnel operating these weapon systems may also struggle to escape this psychological burden.
Given the direct involvement of the South Korean military and defense industry employees, a different expression may be necessary. The use of weapon systems can oscillate between "angel's judgment" and "devil's curse" depending on who creates and how they are used.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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