National security is equivalent to survival. [Photo=Hanmi Ilbo]

Civic groups, including the Citizens' Coalition for Ordinary People, have called for the punishment of those responsible for the Ministry of National Defense’s "unpaid defense expenditure" crisis.

The Citizens' Coalition for Ordinary People (CCOP), Lawyers for the Common People (LCP), and the civic group "Firestarter" held a press conference in front of the Ministry of National Defense's general civil affairs office in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, around 3 p.m. on the 20th. They declared, "The failure to pay 1.3 trillion won in defense costs is a critical issue that shakes the foundations of national security," and demanded an explanation and a formal public apology from the government.

Kim Soon-hwan, Secretary-General of the CCOP, stated, "The government has pushed national security and the lives of its citizens to the bottom of its policy priorities, prioritizing 12 trillion won in consumer coupon policies over defense spending, which is directly linked to national survival."

Yoo Sang-hyung, head of Firestarter, criticized the situation, saying, "The government has deprioritized defense spending due to excessive spending on populist and pork-barrel policies. If national security is pushed to the back burner, we will lose everything."

Labeling this incident as "security debt," Yoo urged, "Budgets directly linked to military force maintenance—including military supplies like meals and uniforms, facility maintenance costs, tactical surface-to-surface guided weapons, and the Hyunmoo-2 missile performance improvement project—were not executed on time. The government must clearly clarify whether this delay in budget execution is a simple administrative error or a fundamental issue within the security system."

Furthermore, Yoo pointed out that "the payment of the 'Military Service Tomorrow Savings' for 15,000 discharged soldiers has been delayed," adding that "the failure to provide even the minimum compensation promised to those who served in the military undermines the rights and trust of our soldiers," and is a matter directly tied to military morale.

These civic groups demanded that the government "clearly establish the circumstances and accountability for this incident and prepare measures to prevent its recurrence."

When it was revealed on the 3rd of last month that the Ministry of National Defense had failed to pay defense costs due to various military branches and defense contractors by the end of last year, the Ministry announced at a regular briefing two days later that a total of 1.3 trillion won in defense expenditures remained unpaid.

The Ministry of National Defense attributed the unpaid costs to "the concentration of expenditures at the end of the year." It added, "There were no issues with the payment of soldiers' salaries."

A head-shaving ceremony protesting the incident was also held during the press conference, which was attended by 12 members from the three organizations.