Shooting practice with North Koreans deemed ‘minor incident’

Professional army officers may take civilians to shooting ranges as long as they follow certain rules Keystone

A Swiss army officer who organised a shooting practice involving two North Korean army officers did not follow staff rules when he did so, according to a military court. However, it also judged that the incident was not a threat to security.

According to the court ruling, the lieutenant-colonel did not have all the necessary permissions to carry out the shooting practice earlier this year. The ruling called the breach of protocol a “minor incident” and called on the lieutenant-colonel’s supervisor to give him a disciplinary punishment. The exact punishment will be decided by that supervisor and has not been communicated to the public.

In May, the lieutenant-colonel took two visiting North Korean army officers to a shooting range near Geneva. They were part of a delegation of eight North Koreans who have studied at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP) since 2011, with the Swiss defence ministry covering the costs. 

The defence ministry had said that through this programme it wanted to enable “somewhat closed” countries to get a look at the rest of the world and “contribute to the opening up of these countries”. 

However, on May 22, a reporter from the tabloid Blick, hiding in a bush at the shooting range, filmed GCSP students – including the two North Korean officers – walking through the woods with Swiss rifles. One student let off a rifle by mistake; no one was hurt.  

The lieutenant-colonel – a professional army officer – had organised the event in the context of a private “Swiss evening” for the visiting GSCP students.

According to the defence department’s regulations, a military commander is allowed to take civilians to the shooting range as long as no one else is using it and as long as security protocols are enforced. However, such private shooting practices may only be organised by professional Swiss army officers.