President Lee Jae Myung, left, poses with the Army's 1st Corps commander of duty Lt. Gen. Han Ki-sung at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Jan. 16. Newsis
The Army's 1st Corps commander was relieved of duty Monday over a string of controversies related to his order for troops to conduct guard duty without live ammunition loaded and the recent mix-up over a U.S. drone flying over the inter-Korean border, the defense ministry said.
The 1st Corps was found to have instructed soldiers to use unloaded K6 heavy machine guns and K4 automatic grenade launchers and leave live ammunition next to the firearms while on guard duty. The case has sparked concerns over lax military readiness and security posture at front-line units.
In a notice to the press, the ministry said Lt. Gen. Han Ki-sung, the commander of the 1st Corps, responsible for the western front, has been excluded from duty starting Monday with regard to the ongoing investigation into the case.
The corps commander is known to have issued the guidelines at his discretion, although soldiers at front-line units are required to have their firearms loaded in principle.
