[Editorial] Military Needs Change of Thinking

There are increasingly louder voices calling for improvement in the culture of the military as the younger generation's way of thinking and personal behavior change rapidly. The government and ruling party have announced improvement plans that include changing "barracks" (naemuban) to "living quarters" (saenghwalgwan) are in response to these social demands. Meanwhile it has just been revealed that an army general has habitually beaten and verbally abused subordinates. Even more outrageous is that when army authorities discovered what had happened all they did was issue the general a written warning, then punish the enlisted man who exposed that over the internet.

Reforming the pre-modern culture of military life, formed under uniform values over the years, is not easy. What is needed most of all is a change of thinking among military officials, including commanders, because the unique characteristics of the military requires obedience to superiors, and unless officers change the way they think even the best reform plans will not have the right effect. This latest case is a symbolic demonstration of where top commanders and the military leadership's thinking has become frozen in time. They comfort themselves in a dated culture of the barracks and treat their subordinates like maidservants. The case reveals that you cannot lead soldiers of the new generation who are armed with pride and individuality when you are using an approach from a bygone era.

There are commanding officers who command their units with "open" leadership. The problem lies in the uptight thinking of certain commanders who insist on the one-way old-style practices. That kind of commander insists that the military's fighting strength comes from a system of thorough submission to orders. It will be hard, however, to establish a true system of service with methods that include treating subordinates like farmhands and trampling on their sense of self. The military needs to make bringing about a change in thinking among military leaders the priority in the process of reforming the military's culture.

The Hankyoreh, 29 October 2005.

[Translations by Seoul Selection]