New defense minister vows sweeping reform

New Defense Minister Song Young-moo, left, takes over the flag of the Ministry of National Defense from his predecessor Han Min-koo during his inauguration ceremony at the ministry in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul, Friday. / Yonhap

By Yi Whan-woo

New Defense Minister Song Young-moo vowed to reform the military, Friday, heralding a sweeping turnaround in the country’s armed forces excessively dominated by the Army.

“Defense reform should not be delayed for any reason,” he said during his inauguration ceremony at the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul. “We should also go beyond mere defense reform and newly build the armed forces so we can win the people’s trust.”

Replacing Han Min-koo, Song, a former chief of naval operations, took office as President Moon Jae-in seeks to fight corruption in arms acquisition, root out ill practices such as bullying, reduce the period of mandatory military service and downsize the military.

Song cited a need for self-defense, which also the President has stressed in his plan for speeding up the return of wartime operational control (OPCON) from the United States to the South Korean military.

“The security situation on the Korean Peninsula is grave than ever,” he said.

“In this environment, we should pass down a strong military capable of self-defense and also of protecting the country’s destiny to our future generations.”

He said the Kim Jong-un regime’s advancement of its nuclear program is a threat not only to regional but also to world peace. He warned that the regional powers are competing with one another to take initiatives in the economy and military.

“Our military should have power to deter any North Korean threats while helping our neighbors in a reciprocal manner.”

Song is the country’s 45th defense minister. Most of his predecessors were former retired Army generals.