▲ Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back (C) inspects a front-line guard post of the Army's 5th Infantry Division near the inter-Korean border on Aug. 13, 2026, in this photo provided by the ministry. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

By Kim Seung-yeon

SEOUL, Aug. 13 (Yonhap) -- Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back on Thursday called for an "immediate" readiness posture during a visit to a front-line Army unit, following an arms protocol lapse discovered at a corps-level unit.

Ahn gave the instruction while inspecting the operational readiness of firearms at a watch post of the 5th Infantry Division, responsible for defense on the central front along the inter-Korean border.

"Your immediate readiness posture is the most powerful force that protects the Republic of Korea," Ahn was quoted as saying by the ministry, referring to South Korea by its official name.

Ahn instructed the forces to maintain full readiness in line with principles and respond "firmly and reflexively" if a situation arises, according to the ministry.

His visit came after the Army's 1st Corps, a key front-line unit, was found to have allowed its soldiers to serve their guard duties with unloaded weapons to minimize accidental discharges. The corps commander has been relieved of duty over the lax practice.

Ahn also visited a border security unit under the 5th division and called on the troops to maintain a "flawless" readiness posture in carrying out their missions.

Following the visits to the border posts, Ahn visited a guard operations center based on artificial intelligence (AI) and observed multi-legged robots performing a reconnaissance and surveillance mission, the ministry said.

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