Former First Army Commander Shin Hyeon-don has refuted allegations that he behaved in a disorderly manner and had a confrontation with civilians in June after delivering a lecture at his alma mater in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province.
Shin resigned in September amid the growing criticism that after the lecture, he drank alcohol, wore his uniform untidily and showed some disorderly behavior when he briefly stopped at an expressway rest area to use the bathroom.
But Shin dismissed the criticism as “wrong and misrepresented.”
He said that he drank with his acquaintances after the lecture, but he did not drink too much and was sober enough to carry out his duties as the commander without any problem.
He also said that the lecture was planned months before the event as part of the Army’s educational program, and that he brought his military police personnel and vehicle just in case he had to return to his base immediately.
As for the reports on his untidy appearance and loose uniform, he said that there was a misunderstanding when a civilian reported it to the military authorities. He said that he was wearing a new military uniform, and thus he did not have to tuck in the upper part of it, whereas the old uniform should be tucked in.
Shin also stressed that he did not get into any verbal or physical clash with a civilian when he stopped by a rest area on his way back to his operational zone.
By Song Sang-ho (sshluck@heraldcorp.com)
