By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
South Korea's armed forces will reduce training exercises as part of a nationwide campaign to save energy, the Ministry of National Defense said Monday.
Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee convened an emergency meeting with the nation's top military brass and senior defense officials to discuss measures to cope with soaring oil prices.
South Korea is the world's fifth largest oil importer and relies entirely on imports.
``Energy saving is now a matter of survival, not of choice,'' Lee said in his speech during the meeting at the ministry. ``The military leaders should recognize the current crisis situation and take the lead in efforts to save energy.''
During the meeting, the Army, Navy and Air Force agreed to save 16 percent of fuel used by the military annually by cutting down on training flights and field exercises, and also slowing down the speed of vessels training at sea.
Under the plan, flight hours for training will be cut from 134 to 132 with pilots spending more time on computer simulators, a ministry spokesman said.
This is the second time the Air Force has been advised to cut down on flight training hours for its pilots this year, following the first cut in April when training time was reduced to 134 hours from 139 hours. The April measures sought to save 11 percent of oil used by the armed forces.
The Army plans to reduce its field training exercises using tactical military vehicles, including tanks and armored infantry fighting vehicles by more than 30 percent, said the spokesman.
Night patrol guards will also take the more advantage of night vision equipment instead of using electric lights, he said.
In addition to slowing down the speed of vessels training at sea, the Navy will also reduce 27 percent of its naval training, he said.
The ministry and other military services and agencies plan to introduce odd-even traffic restrictions under the plan. Soldiers are also being asked to make do with only one bath per week.