Lawmaker slams army unit for inviting fashion models to teach soldiers runway walks

Criticism of the government's security awareness is mounting after it emerged that the Army Special Warfare Command's 1st Airborne Special Forces Brigade had invited fashion models to give soldiers lessons in runway walking.

People Power Party lawmaker Park Chung-kwon shared a media report on Facebook on Thursday about the brigade's recent event, in which fashion models were brought in to teach soldiers how to walk and pose, and wrote: "These people are out of their minds."

"While North Korea is carrying out mixed-fire provocations combining land mines, ballistic and cruise missiles, and multiple rocket launchers, the Defense Ministry under the Lee Jae Myung government is having fashion models come to the Special Warfare Command to teach soldiers how to walk," Park said.

Park broadened his criticism to the entire chain of command, saying: "Because the president himself has a hazy sense of security, the minister is off watching musicals, a corps commander is standing guard with unloaded rifles, and a frontline unit commander is holding special runway-walking lectures."

"The frontline soldiers bear no fault," Park added, urging the military leadership to take full responsibility.

Park also dismissed the unit's explanation that the event was intended to "establish basic military bearing," saying: "A government that cannot even respond properly when a soldier's ankle is severed has no standing to talk about basic military bearing."

TV Chosun had earlier reported that the 1st Airborne Special Forces Brigade held an event called the "K-Walking Performance Military Festival" at its gymnasium on Oct. 29 and taught soldiers runway-walking techniques.

In footage that was made public, soldiers followed models wearing high heels and short skirts through a sequence of moves — from basic forward steps to body-twisting turns and model-style poses. Each soldier then took a turn walking solo in front of the group.

The event drew skepticism even within the military. A military official told TV Chosun: "I don't understand why special forces soldiers, who have so much to prepare for, are being taught something like this."

A YouTuber who is a former special forces non-commissioned officer and submitted the footage also criticized the event, saying: "What does this have to do with a soldier's confident bearing?" and adding that the soldiers "must have felt considerable shame."

The unit said the event "was planned independently by the unit as part of intensive character education, to help soldiers develop proper posture and gait and establish basic military bearing," and pledged to "gather soldiers' opinions from the planning stage and carefully review the appropriateness of the content going forward."

The 1st Airborne Special Forces Brigade was among the units mobilized during the emergency martial law declaration on Dec. 3, 2024. Its then-commander, former Brigade Commander Lee Sang-hyeon, is currently standing trial on charges related to the martial law incident.