Defense Ministry integrity rated lowest in decade

The integrity level for the Defense Ministry dipped to its lowest point in 2013 in nearly a decade due to a series of corruption cases, according to the ministry’s 2014 compilation of defense statistics released on Tuesday.

In a state integrity survey, the ministry scored 7.12 points in 2013, with 10 being the highest level.

From 2008-2012, during the Lee Myung-bak administration, the ministry scored between 8.15 and 8.98, while from 2004-2007, during the Roh Moo-hyun administration, it scored between 8.48 and 9.21.

“The ministry has made efforts to improve the integrity level through various measures. But the respondents in the survey are general citizens, and the results appear to have a correlation with media reports about large-scale defense corruption scandals,” the ministry said in a statement.

There have been a series of corruption scandals concerning defense procurement deals, top-brass promotions and purchase of military supplies. Political interference by some cyberwarfare agents also contributed to the public’s negative perception of the ministry’s integrity, the ministry explained.

The report also showed that a four-star general’s yearly salary is 95 times higher than that of the lowest-ranking private.

A general’s annual salary last year was 128.34 million won ($118,602) on average, while the salaries for a lieutenant general, major general and brigadier general were 121.7 million won, 107.7 million won and 98 million won, respectively.

Enlisted soldiers’ salaries have gradually increased, but still remain low. The annual salaries for a sergeant, corporal, private first class and private were 1.79 million won, 1.62 million won, 1.46 million won and 1.35 million won, respectively.

The compilation also offered a brief analysis of the military strengths of neighboring countries ― China, Japan, Russia and North Korea ― as well as the U.S.

For North Korea, the report said that Pyongyang has continuously been stepping up its asymmetrical military capabilities including missiles, AN-2 low-altitude aircraft and submarines. It put the number of North Korean Army troops at 1.01 million, greater than the U.S. Army’s 600,000 troops.

As for the U.S. military, the report said that the U.S. has been pushing for a rebalancing policy to counter “future threats” and carrying out a “low-cost, highly efficient” defense policy while facing budgetary pressure.

Touching on Japan’s military buildup, the report explained that Japan had been bolstering its naval and air forces with a defense plan to increase its numbers of key military assets such as submarines, escort ships, early warning systems and unmanned surveillance aircraft by 2023.

As for China, it noted that the Chinese military had been pushing for a military transformation “with Chinese characteristics” and the emergent power had maintained a double-digit annual increase in its defense spending each year.

By Song Sang-ho (sshluck@heraldcorp.com)