Heat-struck Army battles steamy berets, exploding ammunition
An ammunition storage in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, blew up on Aug. 2, possibly because of extreme heat and the Army's failure to manage the building properly in the conditions. Korea Times file
By Ko Dong-hwan
The heat wave grilling South Korea for weeks hasn't spared the Army, suffocating soldiers obliged to wear wool berets and allegedly causing an ammunition storage in Anyang to explode.
The problems have prompted calls that the military rearrange its force and equipment to fare better in the heat.
The ammunition storage in Gyeonggi Province, built above ground in 1967, blew up on the morning of Aug. 2, according to Rep. Kim Joong-ro of the minor opposition Bareunmirae Party.
Kim, a member of the National Assembly's National Defense Committee, said Tuesday an artillery division's storage containing “dual-purpose improved conventional munitions” allegedly exploded because of a “chemical reaction due to high-temperature heat,” citing a division official.
No one was injured in the explosion, but the storage was close to stacks of dynamite, white phosphorous and other explosives.
Kim attributed the accident to the old storage being vulnerable to extreme heat and the division not following heat-wave regulations ― extra shade for the storage's roof, mixing inside air with outside air and using water to cool equipment.
He said the Army chose the above-ground storage over an underground “cave” because it was cheaper to build.
“Concerning some of the storages in the middle of cities, the Army must immediately search all ammunition storages and check for any hazards possibly leading to accidents affecting citizens,” Rep. Kim said.
Army soldiers have complained about their berets being ineffective in extreme heat. Korea Times file.
Actor Hyun Bin, who served in the Republic of Korea Marine Corps, wears a brimmed hat that is said to be more comfortable than the beret in extreme heat. Korea Times file
The heat also has brought complaints from soldiers who are required to wear wool berets during official functions.
They say the hats are unbearable because they do not absorb sweat and the leather rim keeps air trapped inside. One soldier said that “after wearing the beret under extreme heat my head become soaked with so much sweat that it felt like I took a shower.”
This particular line of berets was introduced in 2011 when the force replaced the original brimmed hats. Reports said the choice “made the soldiers look fierce, on par with the Marine Corps,” according to an unidentified Army general.
The berets have annoyed the soldiers so much that they present colleagues who are leaving the Army with the old-fashioned brimmed hat.
The Army surveyed soldiers between 2015 and 2017 to see how they liked the berets, with scores ranging from 50 to 57 percent, according to Chosun Ilbo.