• tended to look at the Korean officers as “all the same,” which was incorrect,
of course.
I supplemented my prior knowledge with several weeks of additional
research during early before submitting a lengthy report, a portion of
which is paraphrased as follows:
There is now a growing division in the ROK Army, which while not yet
serious, may be so in the future. The senior leadership of the army, which is
composed of those officers commissioned during the Korea War, is mostly
from Class and earlier. These officers will soon be leaving, but their depar-
ture will not significantly improve the promotion prospects for the youngest
and perhaps most capable officers, those from Class and later. These offic-
ers, who are only now reaching General officer rank, are increasingly frus-
trated. They see themselves as better educated, more seasoned, and more
modern in their outlook and behavior than their predecessors, yet the path
to the top is blocked.
Most of the Class and later groups’ frustration is aimed at Class . This
group, many of whom have been General Officers for many years, is well
organized and powerful. Their primary sponsor is Kim Jong Pil, and they are
presently concentrated at the two-star level. The Class and younger group
sees Class 8 as a direct challenge and impediment to their career progres-
sion. If they are forced to wait until this group has had its opportunity to
lead the army, they will be approaching normal retirement age without hav-
ing the chance to reach their full potential. This factor alone seems to indi-
cate that there will ultimately have to be a solution to this issue.Another section of the report read: “There are several leaders of the Class
group who will likely play a major role in this process. Major General
Chun Doo Hwan, presently commanding the st ROK Division near Munsan
is one. Others include his classmates Roh Tae Woo and Chung Ho Young.
As the leaders of the four-year KMA graduates, this group bears responsi-
bility to see that those who follow them, and themselves, of course, are
treated fairly in the future promotion process.”
This report was widely read and well received among the embassy staff
and in Washington. Bob Brewster took particular interest in it, as did his
staff. We also received several written evaluations from Washington on this
report, indicating that it had been of the highest value. After the events of
December, (to be described in the next chapter), I was very surprised