South Korean Ministry of National Defense issues warnings over unloaded border weapons

South Korea's Ministry of National Defense has announced plans to issue institutional warnings to several military units following the discovery that soldiers were conducting border security operations with unloaded weapons.

Following an investigation triggered by reports regarding the Army's 1st Corps, inspections revealed that similar practices occurred in the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th Corps. In these instances, both individual and communal weapons were operated without ammunition during guard duties at Guard Posts (GP) and General Outposts (GOP), despite official principles requiring loaded firearms in these high-alert areas.

The Ministry intends to issue institutional warnings to the 1st and 2nd Corps, the 22nd Division under the 3rd Corps, and the Ground Operations Command. Additionally, the Joint Chiefs of Staff will be ordered to improve their operational systems.

While the investigation confirmed that guidelines were bypassed without official documentation or revised manuals, the Ministry stated it will not seek disciplinary action against specific individuals, such as the commander of the 1st Corps. Officials cited the difficulty of identifying specific responsible parties and the large number of personnel involved, opting instead for institutional warnings to drive systemic improvements.