Kim Seung-gyeom, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff listening to questions [국회사진기자단]
The Joint Chiefs of Staff said today, “At yesterday’s national audit, some media reports that the president did not give instructions following the Hyeonmoo-2C’s camel accident were completely different from the truth.”
In a statement sent to the press today, the Joint Chiefs of Staff explained, “The president received the report at dawn and ordered a thorough investigation into the circumstances of the accident.”
According to President Yoon Seok-yeol’s instructions, “We have formed an investigation team with the Ministry of National Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Defense Science Research Institute (ADD) to thoroughly investigate the cause of the accident, mechanical defects, operational problems, the training level of operating personnel, and the electrification process.” The Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
Earlier, at the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the National Assembly Defense Committee yesterday, an official of the Joint Chiefs of Staff answered that it was “something I did not know” regarding the president’s instructions following the accident.
In response, Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Young-bae questioned, “The Joint Chiefs of Staff did not know whether a serious situation was reported to the president, and if there was no instruction from the president, it would be a security vacuum.”
Kim Seung-gyeom, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, responded, “I am responsible for not properly reporting the situation to the President’s office because I did not accurately recognize the situation at the time.”