The Ministry of National Defense said it relieved Army First Corps Commander Lieutenant General Han Ki-sung of his duties effective the 3rd, in connection with recent controversies including the failure to load live ammunition at the front line and a mistaken drone incident involving a U.S. military drone.
"In connection with the inspection and investigation of recent matters related to the First Corps, we have relieved the corps commander of his duties effective today," the ministry said in a notice to the media that day. "During this period, the Army Training and Doctrine Command commander is scheduled to serve as acting First Corps commander."
The Army's First Corps, which oversees the western front, drew controversy after it was recently revealed that it had changed its guard operation guidelines at the corps commander's discretion starting in the first half of this year, so that live ammunition was not loaded into crew-served weapons such as K6 heavy machine guns and K4 automatic grenade launchers during guard operations at the General Outpost (GOP) and Guard Post (GP).
The First Corps was also the unit that nearly shot down a U.S. Marine Corps drone flying as part of a South Korea-U.S. combined exercise near the armistice line in Paju on the 30th of last month, mistaking it for a threat such as a North Korean military drone.
The U.S. military had notified the First Corps of the drone flight plan just before the exercise, but the working-level officer did not report this to higher-level units such as the Army Ground Operations Command or the Air Force Operations Command.
Corps Commander Han is a graduate of the 33rd class of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC), and was promoted to lieutenant general in November last year and appointed First Corps commander. He drew attention as the first non-Korea Military Academy graduate to hold the post of First Corps commander, a key position within the military.
