Lee Jae Myung: "If You Think, 'Surely There Won't Be a War,' Then Why Spend 66 Trillion Won on Defense?" ... Criticizes Blank-Gun Security Lapses

[Financial News] On the 5th, President Lee Jae Myung warned against lax military discipline, citing the so-called "blank gun incident," which sparked controversy after soldiers stood guard without loading ammunition.
At the briefing held that day at Yeongbingwan State Guest House, Lee said, "There has recently been controversy over troops standing guard without loading ammunition, which is part of a tendency that shifts from mulberry to bamboo, and from bamboo to reed."
He added, "They may have thought, 'Surely nothing will happen,' or 'It is better not to load ammunition in case an accident happens, and just insert it quickly when needed.' That may not be wrong in everyday life. But that is not the case in national defense."
He also pointed out, "The defense budget is now 66 trillion won. People might think, 'Surely there won't be a war, so why spend this huge amount?' But that makes no sense and cannot be allowed."
Lee referred to an old anecdote in which a military armory stored top-quality mulberry-wood arrows, then switched to bamboo and reed arrows because of cost and maintenance burdens, only to find that no arrows were left when war eventually broke out.
He continued, "If military discipline keeps slipping one step at a time, there could eventually be a situation where not a single arrow remains in the armory." He added, "Overall, things are being maintained well. But I think the public would expect there to be no small gaps at all."
While noting positively that suicides and corruption within the military have declined compared with the past, Lee said recent discipline problems still appear to be occurring and urged the defense ministry to prepare without any blind spots.
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