The military is set to conduct an inspection of border operations across all corps following the controversy surrounding the 1st Corps' decision to change its live ammunition guidelines.
According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff on July 30, the Army's Ground Operations Command will begin inspections starting with the 1st Corps and extending to all subordinate corps.
The inspections will examine whether there have been similar cases where corps commanders altered border operation guidelines at their discretion, as well as the operational status of common weapons at general outposts (GOP) and frontline guard posts (GP), among other aspects.
A military official stated, "We decided to expand the scope of the inspection to all corps, not just the 1st Corps, which was at the center of the controversy. We will assess the operational status of common weapons and ensure that border operation units are functioning properly, taking necessary actions if needed."
Under the Ground Operations Command, there are six corps in total, including five regional corps (Capital, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 5th Corps) and one maneuver corps (7th Maneuver Corps). The 1st Corps, which oversees the western front, has faced scrutiny since it was revealed that it changed its border operation guidelines to prohibit the use of live ammunition in common weapons such as the K6 machine gun and K4 grenade launcher during GOP and GP operations starting in the first half of this year.
While the principle for weapon operation in frontline units is to use live ammunition, the 1st Corps reportedly made this change at the discretion of the corps commander, opting to store ammunition only in boxes rather than loading it into the weapons.
This measure is said to have been implemented to prevent accidental discharges, but some have expressed concerns that it could weaken the military's readiness in critical frontline areas.
A military official noted on July 29, "We will review various aspects, including operational environments and the scope of commanders' discretion, through on-site checks and take necessary actions thereafter."
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.