Drinking Parties Led to Canceled Flights: Ordered by Air Force Chief of Staff

[Anchor]

Recently, we reported exclusively that Air Force pilots held drinking parties hosted by general-grade officers and even canceled flights the following day. Now, our reporting has confirmed that the individual who ordered the pilots to drink and cancel their flights at these gatherings across all Air Force wings was none other than Air Force Chief of Staff Son Seok-rak. Gen. Son bowed his head in apology, expressing regret for causing public concern.

Senior Defense Reporter Kim Tae-hoon has the exclusive report.

[Reporter]

Beginning with an accidental bombing by a fighter jet in March of last year, followed by a dropped fuel tank, failed takeoffs, and even midair collisions, a string of aviation incidents brought pilot discipline under heavy scrutiny.

The measure chosen by Air Force Headquarters to boost pilot morale was drinking and singing.

In April and May, Air Force leadership toured all 13 fighter wings to host gatherings, with Air Force Chief of Staff Son Seok-rak personally presiding over meetings at six of those wings.

An active-duty pilot who attended one of the meetings hosted by the chief of staff told SBS, "When the chief offered drinks, saying, 'You don't have to fly tomorrow, right?' the pilots cheered and drank."

Another pilot said, "Word quickly spread that flight missions were canceled after drinking, so pilots drank freely at every wing gathering."

In response to SBS' inquiry, Air Force Headquarters admitted that flight missions were canceled following drinking at the gatherings under the chief of staff's orders.

Air Force Headquarters explained, "Of the six wing gatherings presided over by the chief of staff, flight missions were canceled following drinking on three occasions, while on another occasion, flights were canceled the next day due to weather conditions."

In a statement sent to SBS, Chief of Staff Son said, "I ordered flight training canceled out of a desire to encourage the pilots and allow them to attend the gathering comfortably without the stress of flying, even for just a single day," adding, "I feel deeply apologetic for causing concern to the public because of this."

Video by Kim Hyun-sang | Video Editing by Jeong Seong-hun | Graphics by Jeon Yoo-geun

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[Anchor]

Kim, while the lax military discipline is a major problem in this controversy, service members in other roles must have felt a considerable sense of deprivation given that the head of the Air Force held drinking parties exclusively for elite pilots. What was the atmosphere like inside?

Q. What are the complaints among service members in other Air Force branches?

[Reporter Kim Tae-hoon: Whenever pilots caused accidents, personnel in the maintenance and administrative branches struggled to clean up the mess. Yet these so-called drinking and singing gatherings were held exclusively for pilots across the 13 wings. Many voices of complaint over feeling alienated are emerging from personnel in other branches, including armament, maintenance, and supply. In the Air Force, pilots have traditionally monopolized top posts such as chief of staff and commander, fostering a strong sense of elitism among them, and these drinking parties clearly exposed the harmful consequences of pilot-first favoritism.]

Q. Why is there so much dissatisfaction among helicopter pilots and mechanics?

[Reporter Kim Tae-hoon: In some cases, the chief of staff traveled round-trip by helicopter from Gyeryongdae in South Chungcheong Province to the wings where the gatherings were held. The Air Force helicopter unit is based in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province. After dropping off the chief of staff at Gyeryongdae following the gatherings, returning to the Cheongju base, and completing post-flight wrap-ups and maintenance, it would reportedly be midnight. Having to work late into the night just so fighter pilots could drink, helicopter pilots and mechanics could not help but feel a sense of deprivation.

Q. Will Chief of Staff Son Seok-rak be subject to an intensive audit by the Ministry of National Defense?

[Reporter Kim Tae-hoon: That is unavoidable. The head of the Air Force effectively told pilots to drink today and not fly tomorrow. Criticism that readiness was traded for alcohol is emerging even within the Air Force. Having covered the military for a long time, I have never seen an instance of lax military discipline quite like this. Furthermore, the defense ministry is expected to take stern action regarding the fact that military band soldiers were utilized almost like an entertainment bar band for the pilots' drinking and singing.

Video by Kim Hyun-sang | Video Editing by Jeon Min-gyu
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.