President Lee Jae-myung on Tuesday adopted a humble tone over training-related incidents at military units, saying, "As commander-in-chief of the armed forces, I extend my deepest condolences to those who have suffered unjust harm." Lee also said, "It is the rightful duty of the state to take responsibility for and guarantee, without the slightest gap, the rights of young soldiers who devote their precious youth to the national community."
Speaking at a Cabinet meeting and emergency economic review session held at the Cheong Wa Dae the same day, Lee said, "Many problems have recently been pointed out regarding reservist training and training of soldiers at military units." He added, "There are public concerns that training has been pushed ahead without proper medical personnel or emergency equipment, and that outdated barracks practices such as unreasonable physical punishments are resurfacing."
Lee stressed, "I urge the relevant authorities to thoroughly and swiftly investigate the facts behind this series of incidents and disclose them transparently to the public as they are." He continued, "If responsibility is found, it must be sternly held to account." He added, "The principle that the human rights and safety of the people come first naturally applies to the military as well," and pledged, "The government will do its utmost to ensure that the young men called upon by the nation can safely return to their daily lives."
In particular, Lee instructed, "I urge the entire military to closely inspect the field to check whether any anachronistic perception still lingers within the ranks that the human rights of soldiers can be neglected." He added, "Training practices and methods that fail to consider the condition of soldiers or on-site circumstances need to be improved." He also said, "Take firm measures so that no criticism arises that incidents are hastily covered up or handled opaquely when they occur."
