Retention of incumbent defense chief

Kim Byung-kwan has dropped out of the running for defense minister in the wake of fierce criticism of his nomination. A slew of suspicions have been raised against him day after day since he was nominated Feb. 13. Among more than 30 allegations he faced, the most critical that disqualified him as minister in his parliamentary confirmation hearings was his position of adviser to an arms trader and his hiding of his shares in KMDC, an unlisted company. The former four-star general kept making excuses and stubbornly refused to drop out, inflicting damage on the military as a result.

When deployed to the battlefield, a military commander should forget about his or her family, and if the drum is played, he or she should be ready to sacrifice life itself and rush toward the enemy. Given Kim’s past that gave the public the impression that he was more interested in wealth management rather than his duty as a soldier, commanders would hardly be willing to trust and follow him. Kim damaged the image of generals as valuing dignity and integrity more than anything. Public trust in the military has also been badly damaged. Considering the pressing security situation South Korea is facing with North Korea threatening a nuclear attack, Kim should have withdrawn his nomination earlier.

Regardless of any talent and qualification as a soldier, Kim is unqualified for defense minister simply because he failed to attain the stature needed for such an important post. Even after his confirmation hearings ended after twists and turns, fresh suspicions appeared. A Dong-A Ilbo editorial posted Thursday said, “The situation has reached a point where nominee Kim should be replaced.” The public withdrew its support for him a long time ago, but he stubbornly stuck to his bid.

Had President Park Geun-hye taken public criticism seriously, the fiasco would have never developed into this magnitude. She must take strong responsibility over her misjudgment. As president-elect on Feb. 22, she took nominee Kim to the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command, expressing her intent not to withdraw his nomination. While he refused to drop out, the president`s aides failed to convey to her the negative public sentiment surrounding Kim. She must know that the entire process of Kim`s debacle ranged from loose pre-screening of his qualifications to ignorance of public opinion, and should prevent a recurrence in personnel management.

With the president`s decision to retain Kim Kwan-jin as defense minister, he is set to continue to lead the Defense Ministry and military. This is a better choice than hurriedly and sloppily finding another nominee. President Park should extend her full support to Minister Kim until after the scars left by this personnel mishap is properly corrected. If the defense minister is on shaky ground, national defense will be in jeopardy. If Minister Kim fulfills his duty, there is no reason to replace him early just because he was from the previous administration.

In the U.S., President Barack Obama retained as defense secretary Robert Gates, who was appointed by the George W. Bush administration, for two years. Obama did this despite being a Democrat and Bush being a Republican. Minister Kim should restore order in the military with a determination to start anew and make all-out efforts to establish a solid defense readiness that will never allow a provocation by North Korea.