Sung Il-jong questions whether Army Operations Command, Joint Chiefs were truly unaware of unloaded-weapon guard duty

People Power Party lawmaker Sung Il-jong questioned Monday whether senior military commanders were genuinely unaware that frontline troops had been standing guard with unloaded weapons, saying the claim "doesn't make sense."

Sung, a member of the National Assembly's Defense Committee, made the remarks during an appearance on MBC Radio, noting that higher-ranking units are required to conduct periodic checks on the duty conditions of subordinate units. "Without that, it is inconceivable that shared weapons would be left unloaded across the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th Corps — and particularly that individual weapons in the 1st Corps would also be unloaded during guard duty," he said. "That means combat-readiness inspections were either carried out as a formality or not done properly at all, and that is an even bigger problem."

On reports that the practice of standing guard with unloaded weapons had been carried out in some cases since 2024, Sung said the timing was beside the point. "There were some instances from 2024 under the name of combat experimentation, but regardless of the reason, this is not a matter of when it started," he said. "If such things happened under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration as well, those responsible should be severely punished. I have no intention of shielding anyone."

Sung also said the military service exemption system — which benefits Asian Games gold medalists and others — needs to be revised. "South Korea's national strength has grown, and the physical condition of our youth is at a level that compares favorably with any country," he said. "These arrangements need to be adjusted to reflect the era of a population cliff."

He said that while the country had previously been able to exempt some individuals because of an ample pool of eligible conscripts, the overall system now needed to be reviewed given the shrinking pool ahead. He added that the Military Manpower Administration is researching improvements to the relevant system, and predicted that the agency's commissioner would present guidelines on the matter during the current national audit.

On the mine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone, Sung addressed the possibility that North Korea had planted mines south of the MDL, saying Pyongyang had been "pushing the line southward" as it promoted its "two hostile states" doctrine. "We should have been taking our own countermeasures and proportionate responses," he said.

Sung said the most important principle in the military is proportionality, and that every corresponding measure — starting with warning broadcasts — must be carried out by the book. Citing loudspeaker broadcasts toward the North and leaflet campaigns as possible response tools, he said the military "must respond using all available assets at its disposal."