Navy under fire for family sightseeing overseas
By Jung Sung-ki
Staff reporter
Navy officers are under criticism for going sightseeing overseas with family members on the sidelines of a naval training exercise, as the nation's military has been placed on the highest alert following the sinking of a South Korean warship in March as a result of a North Korean torpedo attack.
According to a report by the Hankook Ilbo, a sister paper of The Korea Times, the Sejong the Great KDX-III Aegis destroyer with 60 Navy officers and non-commissioned officers on board was dispatched last month to waters off Hawaii to participate in the Rim of Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise to be held there next month.
About 30 officers invited their family members and enjoyed local sightseeing programs and shopping from May 22 to 27, the report said, just two days after a multinational investigation team pointed to North Korea as the culprit of the deadly sinking of the Cheonan frigate on March 26 in the West Sea. Forty-six sailors were killed in the tragedy.
The government subsequently announced a set of steps in retaliation, including a stepped-up naval exercise with the U.S. Navy and the resumption of psychological warfare against the North.
A Navy spokesman admitted that the tourist trips were untimely and reflected a symptom of the moral hazard among seamen.
"Inviting family members for the weekend during months-long training exercises overseas is quite routine, but the latest case is very different given the nation's armed forces have been placed on the highest alert," the spokesman told The Korea Times on condition of anonymity.
"Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Kim Sung-chan directed that the expeditionary sailors should undergo strict ethics trainings on the spot," he added.
The 7,600-ton Aegis destroyer plans to test-fire its ship-to-air tactical missiles for the first time as part of its Aegis combat system ship qualification trails (CSSQT) with allied nations during RIMPAC.
CSSQT is a series of at-sea exercises and tests to verify whether onboard combat and weapons systems have been installed properly, and can be operated and maintained safely and effectively by the crew.
해군 간부 해외가족관광으로 비난받아
지난 3월 북한 어뢰공격으로 인해 우리 측 초계정 침몰 사태 이후 전군에 높은 경계령이 내려진 가운데 해군간부들은 해외훈련에 가족들과 함께 관광을 했던 것으로 알려져 비난을 받고 있다.
한국일보에 따르면, 해군간부들과 임관되지 않은 장교 총 60명이 탑승한 세종 KDX-III 이지스함은 지난달 7월에 열릴 림팩훈련 참가를 위해 하와이로 파병됐다.
보도에 따르면 이 중 대략 30명의 간부들은 가족들과 동반해 5월 22일부터 27일까지 총 5일 동안 현지 관광을 즐긴 것으로 알려졌다. 이는 합동조사단이 서해 해상에서 침몰시킨 천안함의 배후로 북한을 지목한 지 불과 이틀 후였다.
조사발표 이후 정부는 미해군과의 한층 더 강화된 해상훈련과 대북 심리전 재개를 포함한 여러 대북보복조치를 발표했었다.