Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Real Reality]

Military shooting spree leaves eight soldiers dead
A South Korean soldier went on a shooting rampage at an army guard post near the country's heavily fortified border with North Korea on Sunday, killing eight comrades and injuring two others, authorities said.

The shooter, identified only by his surname Kim, also threw a grenade, they added. The 22-year-old soldier, with a rank of private first class, opened fire with a rifle at around 2:30 a.m. while several of his platoon colleagues were sleeping at the camp of a frontline unit in Yeoncheon, northern Gyeonggi Province.

The shooter is now under investigation. "Private Kim might have been bullied by comrades, or he might have done such a tragic thing due to pessimism over his family condition," an investigator said.
Yonhap News (June 19, 2005)
http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20050619/610000000020050619095659E9.html

[Real Reality]

Military abuse still a problem
Discipline-related fatalities in the military, such as suicide, are occurring one after another. Last year, 66 soldiers took their own lives while serving in the military; an average of 5.5 deaths per month. This year, some nine servicemen had committed suicide as of mid-February. The percentage of suicides among total casualties in the military has risen. Put yourself in the shoes of a soldier's parent. If your son returns as a corpse because he was unable to withstand the abuse in the armed forces, who could trust the armed forces to take care of their son?
JoongAng Daily (February 21, 2005)
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/200502/21/200502212202526679900090109011.html

Stop cruelty in the military
Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-woong said, "The ministry will make this year a year of rooting out beatings and cruelty committed in the military barracks." The chronic bad behavior in barracks has been a problem for a long time. The situation has deteriorated, requiring the defense minister to initiate action himself. Most of the 12 cases of suicide in the military this year, were caused by some kind of cruelty directed at the victims. A Marine Corps private was beaten unconscious by a superior.

The military proposes various preventive measures whenever such acts occur. However, the situation has only gotten worse. We can no longer tolerate stopgap measures. A thorough investigation is needed into whether the rights counseling service, which was implemented after the human excrement incident at a boot camp happened, is operating as hoped. It should be firmly established that those who commit violence destroy their careers. Attention must be paid to Minister Yoon's word this time. If cruelty continues even after the army's commander-in-chief's declaration, people's distrust in the military will grow enormously.
JoongAng Daily (March 9, 2005)
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/200503/09/200503092212246979900090109011.html

[JacktheCat]

Give it up RR, everybody is posting over here:

http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/korea/viewtopic.php?t=40417



Looks like you lost this one, better luck next time.