South Korea’s Military Stirs Controversy: Rewarding Troops for Missing North Korean Boat

Official announcement by the Joint Chiefs of Staff on the 1st
Commendations for 4 units and 15 service members

The South Korean Ministry of National Defense has sparked controversy by deciding to award military units and soldiers who initially failed to detect a small North Korean wooden boat crossing the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the East Sea last week.

The North Korean wooden boat that crossed the Northern Limit Line in the East Sea (left) and the flag of the Joint Chiefs of Staff / SBS

On November 1, the Joint Chiefs of Staff announced regarding the ‘award related to the North Korean small boat,’ “Our military plans to award units and meritorious individuals who contributed to identifying and taking measures against the small North Korean wooden boat in the East Sea on October 24.”

The Joint Chiefs of Staff announced commendations for four units and 15 soldiers, stating, “We have selected units and personnel who contributed to the operation by initially identifying, tracking, and monitoring the North Korean small wooden boat.”

The military failed to identify the boat when four North Korean residents crossed the NLL on a wooden boat on the 24th of last month. The military dispatched ships and maritime patrol aircraft to the scene only after a fisherman, who was fishing then, reported it to the Coast Guard.

This situation has led to criticism from some quarters that the military’s response was inadequate.

The military’s stance was different. The military decided to award those who identified and tracked the wooden boat that crossed the NLL in the problematic operational environment of the East Sea NLL, which is over 248.5 miles long, stating that it is virtually impossible to detect all crossings of small wooden boats and that the units and soldiers were faithful to their duties.

The fisherman who reported the North Korean wooden boat crossing the Northern Limit Line in the East Sea (top) and Kim Myung-soo, the naval operations commander, answering at the National Defense Committee’s national audit held at Gyeryongdae Navy Headquarters in Gyeryong, Chungnam on the 24th / SBS

The military plans to award a Minister of National Defense Unit Citation to the division responsible for coastal surveillance near the East Sea NLL and a Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Citation to the brigade, unit, and fleet command responsible for the coast.

In addition, three soldiers, including a non-commissioned officer in charge of operating a soldier radar, will receive a Minister of National Defense Citation, and 12 others, including a TOD operator, will receive a Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Citation.

Two people from related agencies will receive a commendation from the head of the Integrated Defense Headquarters, who is also the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and two fishermen will receive a letter of appreciation from the head of the Integrated Defense Headquarters.

Lieutenant Colonel Lee Cheong-yong, the commander of the coastal battalion, said, “After the initial identification of the unknown object, measures were taken according to the operational procedure. This resulted from repeatedly conducting situation handling training during peacetime,” and thanked the fishermen who reported the North Korean wooden boat.

Netizens showed various reactions to the news.

Some netizens who agreed with the military’s stance said, “A wooden boat has a small radar reflection area, so it’s similar to stealth,” and “Pointing this out is a bit ignorant. We don’t have a state-of-the-art radar that catches even trees, and there are tons of false targets like flocks of birds.”

On the other hand, many refuted the military’s decision, saying, “This country gives scholarships to the last place to study hard. Don’t think too weirdly,” “What kind of soldier justifies a border failure,” “Am I the only one who remembers the Cheonan ship incident,” and “Let’s say it can be missed. The important thing is why reward those who missed it.”