신현돈 1군사령관이 전역했다.
국방부는 2일 전역지원서를 제출한 신현돈(육사35기) 1군사령관(대장)을 전역 조치했다고 밝혔다.
신현돈 사령관은 이날 전역지원서를 제출했고 정부가 이를 수용한 것으로 알려졌다.
신현돈 사령관은 지난 6월 모교 안보강연 행사 후 과도한 음주로 장군으로서의 품행에 문제가 있었다는 내부 조사에 따라 뒤늦게 전역지원서를 제출한 것으로 전해졌다.
신현돈 육군 1군사령관 해임 소식을 접한 누리꾼들은 "신현돈 육군 1군사령관 해임, 술먹었다고 해임? "신현돈 육군 1군사령관 해임, 어느정도 심각한 일?" "신현돈 육군 1군사령관 해임, 충격적이네" 등의 반응을 보였다.
General quits over disorderly conduct
First Army Commander Gen. Shin Hyeon-don resigned Tuesday amid controversy over his “disorderly” behavior damaging to the military’s image in June, the Ministry of National Defense said.
The ministry said that on June 19, when the military was on heightened alert due to President Park Geun-hye’s overseas trip, Shin left Gangwon Province under his charge in breach of the military rules, and traveled to Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, for a security lecture at his alma mater, Cheongju High School.
After the lecture, he drank alcohol with school teachers and his friends. On his way back to his unit, he stopped by an expressway rest area to go to the bathroom. His “overprotective” aides got into a verbal clash with one citizen as they blocked him from entering the bathroom. At the time, an intoxicated Shin wearing military suits with a four-star general insignia looked untidy, officials said.
Following the announcement of Shin’s resignation, critics raised suspicion that the military once again tried to conceal the incident, as public sentiment toward it has been deteriorating due to a series of hazing and abuse cases at barracks.
Two days after Shin traveled to Cheongju for the lecture, a shooting spree by a frontline Army sergeant sent shockwaves across the country. The shooting incident that killed five soldiers could have made the Army reluctant to reveal the four-star commander’s inappropriate behavior, critics said.
By Song Sang-ho (sshluck@heraldcorp.com)
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