[Editorial] Sun Shine Policy Blinding Our Military

The Yellow Sea Engagement, which left 24 solders wounded or killed, revealed quite a number of problems in our defense readiness. We should learn from our mistakes. People in charge should be held accountable, and measures be taken to prevent future glitches.

We have forgotten how serious business our national security means. Only for this year, North war ships have invaded the Western NLL (Northern Limit Line) 10 times. Nonetheless, our military was off guard, failing to prepare proper steps. Our society, including the military, was bathing in the cozy belief in the Sun Shine policy. That may explain part of our defeat this time.

Kim’s 4 rules of engagement, issued at the first gun battle in June, 1999, hindered our prompt and definitive responses. Under the rules, for example, we should not fire first until we are fired upon. These rules made our navy dull and silly. Our war ships just sit tight and watched the enemy ships invading our sea below the NLL. Therefore, we got nothing to do. We had to be punched totally off guard.

On top of that, our forces was just watching the enemy ships, which were aflame by that time, fleeing back into the North. We poured thousands of shells. But we could not sink down one single enemy ship within firing range. The excuses the high-ranking officers came up with were, “We could if we wished. We just did not want the skirmish spilling into an all-out war. That is why we decided not to engage our KF-16 jet fighters, which were doing reconnaissance mission nearby.” How could the public think of those silly excuses? Our guys were punched like sandbags. Nonetheless, the top brass kept saying they were just restraining for “security of the nation.” How could they say they did their duty as solders?

The North Korea knew the limitations in our response. Then they attacked us off guard. In other words, they knew what was out limitations and made the best use of them. No more silly huffing and puffing. Enough is enough. We don’t want to see the Sun Shine policy blinding our solders any more.