The military said Tuesday it has launched a probe into the death of an Army private as an autopsy showed hypodermal bleeding in his body, a possible indication that he may have died of beating.
The move came three days after the 21-year-old soldier, identified only by his family name Song, was found hanged in his unit in the eastern coastal city of Sokcho, about 210 kilometers east of Seoul.
The military said the cause of Song’s death was hanging.
Still, an autopsy showed hypodermal bleeding under his head, shoulders and five other areas of his body, prompting the military to investigate the cause of the bleeding.
Song’s family called for a thorough investigation, alleging that hypodermal bleeding in the body could be signs of beatings.
Song’s elder sister claimed that Song had told his family by phone before his death that he wanted to cry and that she heard from Song’s comrades that there was a senior comrade who bullied Song.
The military said Song was on its list of soldiers “requiring extra care.”
Song’s death is the latest in a string of deaths in South Korea’s military.
In August, two army corporals ― who were also on the military’s list of soldiers requiring special attention due to their difficulties adapting to military life ― were found dead together in Seoul in an apparent suicide pact.
The military has been reeling from a series of incidents in recent months, including a deadly shooting rampage by a sergeant who had been bullied by his comrades.
In April, an Army private first class, surnamed Yoon, died after allegedly being hit in the chest by fellow enlisted soldiers at their barracks while eating some snacks, a high-profile case that has laid bare the deep-rooted culture of abuse and bullying in barracks.
Critics allege that some privates or private first classes, who suffer beatings and bullying by corporals and sergeants, carry on abuse against junior comrades when they are promoted.
All able-bodied South Korean men must carry out compulsory military service for about two years in a country facing hostile North Korea across the heavily fortified border. (Yonhap)
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
