Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Paddycakes]

Actually, I think OTH was really on to something with his Rim Job theory...

These two girls came down to the local High School from the Army Recruiting Center to scout out new recruits...

While they were successful in recruiting a lot of new males, they weren't so lucky with the females...

[Holyjoe]

I don't know if anyone is watching the MBC news right now, but they have just shown a virtual reality simulation of the entire event - think Medal of Honour with the soldier in question hurling grenades around and gunning down the other soldiers.

I thought that was in bad taste myself...

[Ya-ta Boy]

[VanIslander]

[rok_the-boat]

I have long since realised that a positive attitude to your military service in Korea goes a long way in advancing your career in Korea. Accordingly, I have often told my students to learn Taekwondo or Hapkido before entering the military, i.e. be prepared - get tough - try to develop a positive attitude about the whole thing. Not sure if they listened though ...

[Wrench]

[scarneck]

[scarneck]

[JongnoGuru]

[Ya-ta Boy]

This is from yesterday's Chosun Ilbo. I'm not usually into conspiracy theories, but there does sound like there was something more than just a guy going postal.

Unanswered Questions in DMZ Killing Spree

Many unanswered questions remain after the Army announced the results of its investigation into Sunday morning��s killing spree at a guard post in the DMZ in Yeoncheon that left eight soldiers dead and wounded two. These are the main areas of concern.
��According to the Army announcement, 26 soldiers were sleeping in the barracks when 22-year-old private Kim Dong-min threw his grenade. Six were killed when it exploded while two later died of gunshots outside the barracks. Given the confined space, the power of the grenade and the wild firing of some 40 rounds, some say the fatalities are surprisingly low.
�� With the exception of the platoon leader, who was a captain, the other seven killed were all corporals. While corporals made up the highest number of men of any rank at the post -- 14 -- there were also eight first-class privates, two sergeants and two second-class privates. If the killer used a grenade and fired at random, it��s hard to understand why only those of a specific rank died.
�� The Army says verbal abuse alone goaded Kim into running amok, while there had been no beatings or other physical cruelty. Some say it must have taken much more horrific acts to set the killer off.
�� Some suspect the low casualty figure from the grenade blast was due to the fact that most of the men were out watching the World Youth Football Championships, which was on until 1:00 a.m. There are also rumors on the Internet that since the new and old platoon leaders were on duty together, perhaps there was a drinking party after the football to send off the old platoon leader.
��The killer spent 13 minutes moving from barracks to lounge to situation room lobbing a grenade and firing wildly. While 10 were killed or wounded in the process, the 20 others including the new platoon leader and three men on duty at the guard post survived unharmed. Why were they unable to subdue Kim?
��How could Private Kim Dong-min, who just committed such a terrible crime, return to the guard post as if nothing happened? The Army explains that he was left to return to the guard post because the division that commanded the post was in a state of confusion, unsure whether the incident was a North Korean attack or came from within the unit itself. Many Army officials are surprised at Kim��s composure.
�� Why were no other units sent? In an emergency at a guard post, a division search party is supposed to head to the post to deal with the situation, but this did not happen. The incident was reported to the commanding unit at 2:39, when it was just starting, as a North Korean attack, and the regiment and division formed crisis management teams and alerted all men at all frontline guard posts. But when it emerged that it was not an enemy attack, no search party was sent.

[Ya-ta Boy]

And this one does not really answer any questions.

DMZ Killing Spree 'Was Premeditated'

A private who killed eight of his fellow soldiers in a bloody Sunday-morning rampage at a front-line guard post in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province apparently planned the killing spree two days earlier, investigators said Monday. Meanwhile, it has emerged that the attack caused panic among the platoon and the division it was a part of, who were unsure whether it was an act of North Korean aggression.
<br>
Brig. Gen. Park Cheol-su, of the Army's investigation team said 22-year-old private Kim Dong-min had suffered no beatings or other physical abuse but endured frequent insults and obscenities from a senior fellow soldier, so he decided to kill his tormentor. An investigator said Kim told comrades on several occasions that he wanted to "turn the platoon on its head" and kill all of them with grenades and guns. He said the other soldiers thought Kim was joking and did not report the comments.
<br>
In the course of the investigation, the Army also found other lapses in discipline at the post, including a failure by the commander to ensure proper distribution and return of ammunition. It said senior officers would be severely punished. The Army is also considering posthumous promotions for the eight soldiers who were killed. It has replaced personnel manning the guard post ahead of schedule as well.

[TheUrbanMyth]

One has to wonder where those Korean netizens are that are so quick off the trigger to condem illegal teachers, yet don't seem to be making demands for the armed forces to change.