Soldiers Host ‘Drinking Party’ Amidst North Korean Provocation – Unconventional Military Scene

Amid North Korea’s ongoing provocations in the new year, there are serious concerns about the discipline of South Korea’s military.

On January 8, Asia Economy reported that “soldiers from South Korea’s Army’s Missile Strategy Command abandoned their posts to drink alcohol.”

According to the report, Private Shin, a soldier from the Missile Strategy Command, hid two bottles of vodka from the military mart (PX) on January 2 and began drinking with two fellow privates in the base barber shop around 3 a.m. the next day.

While they were drinking, they invited two more soldiers of the same rank. A soldier who was on duty also attended. Despite the important role of waking up soldiers in an emergency during sleeping hours, they drank alcohol.

The Missile Strategy Command is a key unit that possesses the means of mass retaliation (KMPR), one of the ‘Korean-style 3-axis’ systems. Shockingly, this happened in the Missile Strategy Command, where such a thing should not happen even in a regular unit.

It is even more shocking as North Korea has been firing artillery for three consecutive days near the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the West Sea since the beginning of the year.

That day was also the day North Korea had announced a provocation. On January 2, Kim Yo-jong, Deputy Director of the Workers’ Party of North Korea, made a strong statement saying, “Our military activities have taken wing again because we have been touching the provisions of the 9·19 North-South Military Agreement for years in prison.”

Moreover, the soldiers’ ‘drinking escapade’ occurred less than a month after Minister of National Defense Shin Won-sik visited the Missile Strategy Command on December 8 last year to check the preparedness.

At that time, Minister Shin told the soldiers, “Maintain a posture that can immediately operate the world’s top-level, ultra-precision, high-powered missiles whenever a mission is handed down, and retaliate firmly.”

The Army said, “We will hold a disciplinary committee for the drinking soldiers on the 10th and plan to take the toughest measures possible. Under the direction of Commander Lee Doo-hee of the Missile Strategy Command, we will conduct an inspection and a detailed diagnosis of the unit.”