Aged submersible vehicle explodes during inspection

A 70 ton-class submersible vehicle exploded Wednesday while it was moved to an inland dock for regular inspection at the military port of Jinhae in South Gyeongsang Province. The submersible had been used by the South Korean Defense Intelligence Command to penetrate into North Korean waters and reconnaissance of North Korean submarines. The accident left an officer and two petty officers killed and another officer severely injured. The military is investigating the cause of the accident, judging that hydrogen gas lying on the floor of the vehicle accidently exploded to cause the tragedy. The submersible was aged and was reportedly scheduled to be decommissioned later this year, since it exceeded its lifespan (30 years), but the military should have made all-out efforts in inspection and repair to prevent a possible accident.

It is truly worrying just to imagine potential outcome if the accident happened during operation against North Korea. A North Korean submersible vehicle was wrecked at shores of Gangneung in Gangwon Province in 1996, and another North Korean submersible vehicle was caught in fishnet at waters near Sokcho in 1998. No one can guarantee that such an accident would not happen to the South Korean military. We wonder whether the South Korean military have properly conducted drills to survey and destroy North Korean submarines over the past years with such "junk submersible vehicles."

Accidents that deprive young lives have been happening repeatedly in the military. A sailor suffered severe injury last year due to accidental firing of cannon at the naval warship Hwang Do-hyeon. A soldier was crushed to death, also in last year, under the artillery turret of the K-9 self-propelled gun in the Marine Corps. Successive accidents in the military are primarily due to failure to follow safety rules and guidelines. The military authorities should thoroughly investigate whether the submersible vehicle explosion was also caused by lack of awareness about safety.

The father of the late lieutenant surnamed "Kim" who was killed in the Jinhae accident said, “I have not heard anything (from the defense ministry) yet. I feel heavy with anxiety because we don’t’ know how the accident had happed.” As soon as the cause of the accident is confirmed, the military should inform the details to not only the bereaved families but also the public. If the military seeks to hide the cause by citing confidential military information, it will only dampen the morale of our soldiers, and increase public distrust in the military. People are highly anxious because corruption scandals involving military leaders have occurred successively in military procurement projects, while accidents have happened repeatedly at frontline units.