By Jung Sung-ki
Staff reporter
The Navy, which suffered from the tragic loss of one of its warships and 46 of the sailors onboard in a North Korean infiltration attack, has been under a great deal of criticism, following a spate of episodes revealing the service's slack discipline.
On Monday, a naval boat with 15 military officers and their family members on board
overturned in the waters off Taean coast in South Chungcheong Province, during a joy ride. Two people remain unconscious.
The Ministry of National Defense is investigating how the three-ton rigid-inflatable boat (RIB) came to be used for personal purposes.
"We're thoroughly investigating details of the accident and will punish those found responsible for it," a ministry official told reporters Tuesday.
Investigators found that a Navy captain allegedly ordered another Navy officer responsible for the use of RIBs to arrange a ride for his family members and colleagues, the official said on condition of anonymity.
"It's regrettable that this kind of incident occurred at a time when the whole military is struggling to improve its tarnished reputation in the wake of the March 26 Cheonan sinking," he said.
Earlier, the Board of Audit and Inspection found that some key Navy commanders mishandled the ship sinking and tried to cover up their mistakes to avoid criticism.
The Navy was also under fire for an overseas junket by some of its officers, on the sidelines of a naval training exercise, at a time when the military was placed on the highest alert following the Cheonan sinking in the West Sea.
According to a report, the Sejong the Great KDX-III Aegis destroyer with 60 Navy officers and non-commissioned officers on board was dispatched in May to waters off Hawaii to participate in the Rim of Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise in late June.
About 30 officers brought along their family members and took part in local sightseeing programs and went shopping from May 22 to 27, just two days after a multinational investigation team pointed to North Korea as the culprit of the sinking of the frigate.
