President Lee calls self-reliant defense 'biggest task,' warns against lax military discipline

President Lee Jae Myung on Wednesday directed Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back to take all necessary steps to restore military discipline, citing a recent controversy over frontline troops standing guard without live ammunition loaded in their weapons.

Speaking at the opening of a policy briefing at Cheong Wa Dae attended by the ministries of Foreign Affairs, Unification, National Defense and Patriots and Veterans Affairs, Lee said it appeared that "some problems with military discipline are emerging." Ahn responded that he would "do everything possible" to address them.

Lee drew a historical parallel to illustrate the dangers of gradual complacency, recounting how a kingdom had once stockpiled high-quality mulberry-wood arrows in preparation for war, only to replace them over time with cheaper bamboo and then reed arrows to cut costs — leaving the military unprepared when conflict finally broke out. He said the recent cases of troops on guard duty without rounds chambered followed exactly that pattern: "a tendency to go from mulberry to bamboo, and from bamboo to reed."

He said soldiers involved likely reasoned that "'surely nothing will happen'" or that "'it's better to leave the round out and chamber it quickly if needed, rather than risk an accident with a loaded weapon.'" "That may not be wrong thinking in everyday life," he said, "but it is not acceptable in national defense."

"If military discipline retreats one step at a time, the day may come when there is not a single arrow left in the quiver," Lee said. "Self-reliant defense is the biggest task facing the Republic of Korea, and the chain of command — from the president as commander in chief down to the defense minister — must be properly established. Military discipline is one area that must never be neglected."

Turning to the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Unification, Lee doubled down on his message that the two ministries should be judged by concrete achievements in the national interest rather than by ideological posturing.

"Foreign policy tends to become a subject of political debate precisely because it matters so much," he said. "In most advanced countries, diplomacy and security policy are generally kept out of partisan battles — but in our case, regrettably, even the most important foreign affairs and security issues become fodder for political fights."

He went on to say that "being in the opposition is different from being in a position of responsibility for the fate of the national community," adding that "for those who hold power, action matters more than rhetoric, and being accountable for results matters more than raising your voice."

He also offered words of encouragement to the Ministry of Unification, saying it "clearly does work of great importance relative to its size" and that "visible results will come someday." He urged the ministry to "continue pursuing policies of peace and coexistence with patience."