Military prosecutors said Friday they have sought the death penalty for one of the Army sergeants accused of beating to death a junior soldier.

The move came six months after an Army private first class, surnamed Yoon, died after allegedly being hit in the chest by his six of his comrades at their barracks while eating some snacks at a unit near the border with North Korea.

The military says the assault caused a piece of food to obstruct his airway, leading him to die of asphyxiation.

The military prosecutors also demanded life in prison for three other enlisted soldiers, one of them a corporal, over their alleged role in Yoon's death.

The military prosecutors made the demands at a military court in Yongin, about 50 kilometers south of Seoul, saying various evidence justified the murder charges. (Yonhap)