Korean military to scrap `entertainer unit`

The South Korean military authorities have taken an extreme measure against a military promotion unit mainly consisting of celebrities that has come under public criticism for violations of the military code of conduct.

The Ministry of National Defense said Thursday that it decided to scrap the National Defense Promotion Support unit after a special inspection revealed its inappropriate management. The military unit, which employs celebrities in the entertainment industry, was founded in 1996.

The military authorities carried out a special inspection of the unit after a national TV news program last month showed two singer-turned enlisted men serving in the unit drinking and visiting massage parlors in violation of the military code of conduct. The program triggered public controversies over preferential treatment for celebrity soldiers.

The military authorities said Thursday they decided to take eight members of the entertainer unit, including the two singers in question, to a disciplinary committee for "graceless behavior and violation of rules" that involved absence without leaves and unauthorized use of mobile phones.

"Seven, including the two who visited massage parlors, will receive heavy disciplinary actions including demotions and jail time," a military official said. The military authorities have also taken disciplinary actions against five staffers of the Defense Agency for Public Information Services and warned another four for their failure to properly managing the entertainer unit.

"We have come to a conclusion that the entertainer unit cannot be maintained because it has betrayed the public`s expectations and trust and demoralized other officers and men serving diligently," a defense ministry official said.

The entertainer soldier system had been viewed positively in that it helped ease younger generations` resistance to mandatory military service and allowed the military access to celebrities for promotional work at nearly zero cost.

However, the celebrity unit system often came under public criticism for privileges enjoyed by famous enlisted men. Every year, lawmakers complained that celebrity soldiers took far more leaves and off-base passes than regular servicemen. According to the military authorities, 32 entertainer soldiers who were honorably discharged between November 2009 and September 2012 took an average of 75 days of leaves per person, nearly 1.7 times more than 43 days for regular soldiers.

With the decision to scrap the entertainer unit, the military plans to reassign 15 entertainer troops in active service to regular units next month. Most of them will likely be reassigned to field units under the First and Third Army Commands. Entertainer soldiers featured by concerts, radio and TV programs for military audiences will be replaced by civilian celebrities and ordinary soldiers with talents.

Many in the entertainment industry take the abolishment of the entertainer unit positively, as only a small number of entertainers benefit from the system and have their own share of difficulties.