An Army soldier, who was wounded in a firing accident involving a K-9 self-propelled howitzer in Gangwon Province last month, died in a hospital on Wednesday, the Army said.

The death of Wie Dong-min, a 20-year-old sergeant, raised the number of victims to three in an explosion of a 155-mm K-9 which took place on Aug. 18 during a firing drill in Cheorwon near the border with North Korea.
 
Two soldiers were killed on the scene at that time. Five others, including Wie, were injured.

The Army said that Wie was posthumously promoted by a rank like other victims.

Army investigators said that the explosion seems to be attributable to smoke from the breech that led to the combustion of gunpowder.

The Army suspended the use of the howitzers for training purposes after the accident. But it has left more than 1,000 K-9s already deployed for combat in operation. (Yonhap)