Retired generals a no-show at military reform briefing

The Defense Ministry invited retired Army, Navy and Air Force generals to brief them on the government`s military reform plan Tuesday, but most of them did not appear over criticism of the reform being more favorable to the Army.

Twenty-four among 171 retired generals who said they would attend the session at the ministry building in Seoul did not show up. Only 10 among 32 retired Navy and Air Force generals were in attendance while all retired Air Force reserve generals did not appear.

Only former Chief of Naval Operations Kim Jong-ho attended as a representative of the Korea Retired Generals and Admirals Association. Former Chiefs of naval operations Lee Eun-su and Kim Hong-ryeol and former Chiefs of Air Force operations Park Won-seok and Park Chun-tae gave notice of their absences three days before the event.

Former Chief of Naval Operations Kim Young-gwan and former Chief of Air Force Operations Han Ju-seok were supposed to attend the meeting but did not. Kim said, “As the chiefs of Navy and Air Force operations made suggestions to the reform plan, we decided not to go.”

Retired Navy and Air Force generals did not attend the session apparently because former chiefs of Navy and Air Force operations told Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin Thursday that they would not attend.

The Korea Retired Generals and Admirals Association recently encouraged its 2,300 members to snub the event by sending them leaflets criticizing the problems of the reform of the military command structure.

After the event, the Defense Ministry said in a briefing, “Most retired generals who attended the session formed a consensus on the reform plan and hoped for its success.”

Yet a retired Army general said, “The Defense Ministry should have listened to what retired generals and admirals said after saying whether it accepts the issues pointed out by retired generals and admirals. The ministry explained only its side."

The session lasted for three hours including lunch but retired generals and admirals asked questions only for 30 minutes. Kim Jong-ho, the representative of retired generals and admirals, said, “The Navy and Air Force are dissatisfied with the military reform being more favorable to the Army.”

Ret. Army Lt. General Kim Chung-bae said, “It is regrettable that the comments of certain retired generals are seen as the selfishness of their own group.”

“The military reform should be meaningful in substance,” Chief of Naval Operations Kim Sung-chan said at a naval commanders’ meeting at the military headquarters of Gyeryongdae, South Chungcheong Province, “We must understand the background of and the need for the military reform accurately and the need for command control of manpower, facilities, tactics, commands and communication should be specified.”

pen@donga.com