Guest Editorial Board Member. ROK Military Academy Class of '83To all proud soldiers of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, I congratulate you on the 77th Armed Forces Day. As a member of the reserve forces, a comrade to the military, I pay tribute to the patriotic devotion of the military and its soldiers. I wish and support you in fostering an army that wins through rigorous training on all battlefields – land, sea, air, and cyberspace – and in becoming the leading force for free unification with an ironclad spirit of certain victory.

The Gap Between the Status and Reality of the ROK Military

Currently, the ROK military is in a crisis, struggling even to overcome North Korea's nuclear threat. Internally, it is caught in three dilemmas: an security crisis driven by politics, a power crisis stemming from the decision to reinstate the September 19th military agreement, and a crisis in morale and fighting spirit trapped in a framework of sedition. This tragic security situation, where the military seems to have lost its fundamental mission and duty, can be likened to 'scarecrow' or 'blind' warriors.

⓵ Scarecrow Warriors: The essence of the military is to maintain peace by eliminating the enemy. However, caught up in politicians' pursuit of peace, we have reached a dire state where even live-fire exercises are being considered for suspension. This is a contradiction akin to trying to lead a horse with a golden carriage. The military has become like a scarecrow, unable to act independently due to external political pressure. Just as the Unification Minister suggested 'suspending live-fire exercises,' the military's fundamental mission of fighting and winning is being unilaterally prohibited by politicians' peace policies. The military, as a legitimate organization for managing armed forces, is trapped in a political fish farm, its very reason for existence denied.

⓶ Self-Mutilating Blind Gladiators: The decision to reinstate the September 19th military agreement has led to the military voluntarily restricting its core capabilities to confront the enemy. This renders it unable to exhibit practical combat power, much like the military of seven years ago. It is akin to blinding the military by preventing the operation of reconnaissance aircraft and tying its hands and feet by suspending training. This can be compared to a gladiator being blindfolded and bound, rendering them unable to fight. Creating an army incapable of fighting, under the guise of peace, is an act of treason that only an enemy's subordinate could commit.

⓷ Warriors Cutting Down Allies: Soldiers mobilized under the December 3rd emergency martial law, despite obeying their superiors' orders, were branded as 'traitors' and trapped in the 'sedition' framework before key personnel had even stood trial. This is a tragic scene where a blind sword, losing its direction, fails to strike the enemy and instead cuts down allies. Rewarding soldiers who disobeyed orders by destroying the principle of chain of command, the foundation of the military organization, and implying legitimate disobedience to soldiers through special "moral education" disguised as "non-establishment of insubordination" will paralyze the soldiers' fighting spirit, creating an army incapable of fighting even if war breaks out in the future.

The military must no longer curry favor with politicians or compromise its principled stance for political calculations. Instead, it must follow the firm compass of the Constitution, the nation, and the people. The three directions for returning to the military's essence and rebuilding a strong military are as follows:

1. Overcoming the Political Crisis: Focus on Protecting the Constitution and the People

With the current government's peace policy, the military seems to be turning into a laboratory frog. To prevent the politicians' peace policy from leading to national strategic failure, the military must not look to politicians, but be loyal to the nation and exclusively oriented towards the Constitution and the people. The military's essence is not a political facilitator, but a guardian of the free system, loyal to the Constitution and the people.

Therefore, the military must establish the legal authority to firmly reject external pressures that undermine its fundamental nature, such as the Unification Minister's demand to suspend training, as 'military experts' defending the Republic of Korea, and focus solely on the mission of fighting and winning. When political demands conflict with conscience, it must possess the courage to halt at the current rank.

The remarks abandoning peaceful unification and North Korea's 'two-state theory' are serious challenges that directly negate the 'One Republic of Korea' and the 'goal of free democratic unification' stipulated in Articles 3 (Territory) and 4 (Unification) of the Constitution. The military's duty to uphold the Constitution requires it, as a practical 'guardian of liberal democracy,' to avoid being swayed by political debates, physically guarantee national continuity, and focus on defending the foundation for free unification. In this process, the true nature of the enemy must be clearly recognized.

2. Overcoming the Power Crisis: Fostering an Army that 'Fights After Winning'

Creating an army that 'fights after winning' is the most fundamental and practical duty bestowed upon the military by the Constitution and laws of the Republic of Korea. As a constitutional basis, Article 5, Clause 1, while denying wars of aggression, imposes the duty to build defensive capabilities to protect the territory. Article 39, Clause 1, stipulates that the military, formed through the people's duty of national defense, bears the highest responsibility to protect the people by 'certainly winning'.

Article 3 of the Act on the Organization of the Armed Forces supports the fostering of an army that 'fights after winning.' The military's mission of 'independent preservation' and 'defense of the homeland' demands complete mission accomplishment through overwhelming deterrence. Article 2 of the Military Service Regulations requires soldiers to possess 'strong sense of responsibility and creative thinking,' thereby ensuring they have the 'wisdom to fight after winning' by formulating strategies superior to the enemy.

3. Overcoming the Morale Crisis: Practical Training and the Resolve of Military Leadership

The direction of the gun barrel is changed by moral education. There is no army in this world that rewards insubordination. South Vietnam, despite immense Western support and advanced weaponry, was defeated because of the corruption of its leadership and the collapse of the will to resist among its people and military. This is a historical lesson proving that a unified goal and strong morale are more crucial factors in determining the victory or defeat of a war than material superiority.

The basic language of the military is combat readiness; its final language is victory. This is the people's command. Combat readiness and absolute obedience are the highest laws of the military and its last weapon to block political intervention. The military must prevent war itself through perfect readiness and the mental armament of certain victory achieved through practical combat training, and ensure the lives and safety of the people through swift and decisive victory in case of an emergency.

For the ROK military to be reborn as a 'fighting and winning army' by overcoming troop reductions and the problem of political interference contrary to security principles, a comprehensive personnel innovation is necessary. Soldiers must be empowered with the ability to independently complete missions in combat situations, and officers must be granted comprehensive command capabilities in all circumstances. Military leadership must possess the firm resolve, like General Singlaub who opposed President Carter's withdrawal from Vietnam, to block political pressure and intervention and defend the Constitution.

I hope that the military, without yielding to external pressure and oppression from chosen powers regarding military operations and security policies, will fulfill its inherent mission, defend the Republic of Korea, and become the leading force for free unification.