"Chief of Staff, sir! Even when we need to report for operational duty on the front lines, the odd-even public-vehicle rule is restricting us when we must move quickly over long distances. So we have no choice but to buy personal electric scooters with our own money to get around."
This is how a junior officer serving on the front lines recently vented to reporters, calling the odd-even public-sector vehicle rule — implemented to ease energy-supply concerns amid the prolonged Middle East crisis — "desk-bound bureaucracy" that shows no consideration for personnel deployed to front-line operations.
The government raised the resource-security crisis alert to "alert" level and has been enforcing an odd-even vehicle rule (based on license-plate numbers) for public institutions since April 8. With energy-supply anxieties mounting, the previous one-in-five rotation was tightened to an odd-even system. The rule covers commuting passenger cars and official vehicles used by public-institution employees.
As a result, junior officers and above who live off-base at front-line units are restricted from using their own cars to commute. The problem arises during duty shifts and emergencies. Officers must return to their units quickly, but the odd-even rule has frequently left them in a bind, according to accounts.
Moreover, when officers need to leave in the early morning after duty shifts or emergencies to attend to family matters, the odd-even rule restricts their car use, leaving them stranded at base. They count themselves lucky if a family member can drive out to pick them up.
For this reason, a sharp rise in front-line junior officers buying electric scooters and e-bikes out of pocket for quick trips to and from base has fueled widespread discontent. There is another problem as well: the growing risk of safety accidents while riding such devices at night.
A military official said, "It is natural for the military to join the government-wide odd-even vehicle rule amid the prolonged Middle East crisis, but there are many complaints that this is desk-bound bureaucracy that makes no exception for front-line personnel deployed to operations."
Some point to problems with the fact that while front-line units are being uniformly subjected to the odd-even rule, some rear-area units — including Gyeryongdae, where each service's chief of staff and top command work — have designated the vehicles their commanders ride in as "command vehicles," exempting them from the rule.
Service Chiefs' Vehicles 'Exempt' from Odd-Even Command-Vehicle Rule
Under Defense Ministry guidelines, the vehicles used by each service's chief of staff are also subject to the odd-even rule. However, they are exempted if designated as command vehicles. For this reason, each service chief reportedly uses his so-called "Car No. 1" differently.
Service A designated the chief of staff's vehicle as a command vehicle. As a result, it operates as an odd-even exempt vehicle. It is reportedly used for commuting between the official residence and Gyeryongdae headquarters, for moves within Gyeryongdae, and for attending military events in nearby areas, regardless of the odd-even schedule.
Service B has designated its chief of staff's vehicle as a command vehicle, but when the odd-even rule applies, a motor-pool vehicle is assigned instead. The intent is to set an example by abiding by the rule, but some say the chief of staff's frequent motor-pool requests amount to a roundabout way of avoiding it.
Service C has likewise designated its chief of staff's vehicle as a command vehicle. But unlike the other service chiefs, Service C's chief of staff has pledged to strictly observe the odd-even rule — refraining from outside activities on restricted days and often walking when moving within Gyeryongdae, according to insiders.
When the Defense Ministry first issued guidelines to each service, it excluded from the odd-even rule — as at other public institutions — special-purpose vehicles, vehicles in areas with poor public-transit access, and long-distance (30 km or more) commuter vehicles, leaving detailed implementation to front-line commanders' judgment.
Based on this, the services initially sought to exempt the vehicles used by the chiefs of staff from the odd-even rule. But one day before implementation, the Defense Ministry cited an "administrative error" and ordered the guidelines revised, so each service included the chief of staff's vehicle under the rule while designating it as a command vehicle.
Command vehicles can be granted odd-even exemptions in cases where commanders must move urgently for emergencies or contingencies, or when on-site operational guidance is needed for major operational and security units, considering the impact on mission performance and military operations.
A military source said, "Applying the odd-even rule uniformly to front-line areas, as with other public institutions, does not fit the reality that the military must prepare operational and readiness postures." The source added, "Front-line officers are also deeply dissatisfied that rear-area commanders' vehicles are being designated as command vehicles as a matter of course."
