Cheong Wa Dae looking into military officials playing golf

The presidential office is looking into reports that dozens of military officials played golf over the weekend despite heightened tensions with North Korea, presidential spokesman Yoon Chang-jung said Monday.

“Cheong Wa Dae is paying particular attention to the issue of discipline slackening in public service,” Yoon said. “The office of the senior civil affairs secretary has immediately launched an inquiry to determine what has exactly happened regarding the reports about military golf.”

Local newspapers have reported that dozens of teams of military officials, including generals, played golf at a military golf course on Saturday and Sunday, sparking criticism that it is wrong for them to play at a time when they need to be on standby to handle tensions with the North. (Yonhap News)

Pyongyang has threatened that Monday would be the day it stops abiding by the cease-fire agreement that ended the 1950-53 Korean War. It cut off a hotline set up at the truce village of Panmunjom on the inter-Korean border to prevent accidental clashes between the sides in the morning.

“Some generals were found to have played golf,” a senior defense ministry official said. “But they did not include those in major positions.”

Defense ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok also said it has discovered that key office holders have voluntarily canceled golf meetings as they were required to stay within one hour from their work in case of contingencies.

Meanwhile, Yoon said the presidential office decided to receive policy reports from government ministries. The briefings, expected to begin one or two weeks after ministers take office, will be about how to implement policies with a focus on caring for the people, he said.

The office also plans to organize a workshop of ministers and vice ministers, he said. (Yonhap News)