Taiwan's defense minister pushed back on July 27 against media reports claiming that President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) was being scheduled to inspect live-fire drills during Han Kuang 42, calling the account inaccurate and rejecting the suggestion that any training items would be arranged around a presidential visit.
The United Daily News had reported that day that plans were in place for President Lai to observe live-fire exercises as part of his inspection of the annual drill, which is set to begin on August 5. The report drew immediate criticism from opposition lawmakers, who accused the ruling administration of staging a political spectacle under the cover of a military exercise.
Koo: No Live-Fire Exercises Planned on the Main Island
Defense Minister Wellington Koo(顧立雄) addressed the matter directly at a ministry briefing, saying the report did not reflect reality. "The Ministry of National Defense has not planned any live-fire exercises on the main island," he said, adding that the president's schedule remains under adjustment and that no modifications to training content would be made in connection with any inspection visit.
Koo was pointed in his framing of the issue: the president's role as commander-in-chief naturally includes observing exercises and encouraging personnel, but that institutional role carries no bearing on what the exercise tests or how it runs. "Any training-related courses and items will not be affected in any way by the president's inspection schedule," he said.
The minister also turned the question back to first principles, arguing that what a presidential visit could or could not influence is secondary to what Han Kuang is actually for: developing real joint combat capability through realistic, demanding training — not producing a demonstration. （Related： Han Kuang 42 | Taiwan's Largest Reserve Call-Up Deploys 5,000 Troops ｜ Latest ）
