South Korean army faces backlash over soldiers’ runway training

SEOUL – Soldiers in South Korea’s elite special forces are expected to master combat tactics and high-risk missions. But in one unit, they found themselves practising an unlikely skill: How to walk and pose like fashion models.The Republic of Korea Army’s 1st Airborne Special Forces Brigade has recently come under fire for hosting an event dubbed the K-Walking Performance Military Festival, where soldiers followed female models down a runway at a gymnasium on the military base on Oct 29.Video footage provided exclusively to TV Chosun by a YouTuber who previously served in the special forces shows female models dressed in camouflage outfits and high heels demonstrating runway walking techniques to soldiers.The women walked with one foot crossing in front of the other, twisted their bodies to make turns and struck poses with their arms bent, while rows of male soldiers mimicked their movements.The soldiers then took turns stepping forward to strike their own poses as the women watched.The footage quickly drew criticism, raising concerns about military discipline.“Given the nature and responsibilities of a unit tasked with special operations, it’s hard to understand the purpose of this training,” one user wrote on social media platform X.The army said the event was part of a cultural programme aimed at helping soldiers improve their posture.“The event was an interactive programme held as part of character-building training conducted twice a year. However, the content was not appropriate for the nature of the unit or the needs of its soldiers, and we failed to adequately review the programme beforehand,” an army official told a local news outlet.“We will seek feedback from soldiers during the planning stage and carefully assess the suitability of future training programmes,” the official added. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK