동부전선 GOP서 총기 사고’로 내고 자해한 임모(22) 병장을 후송하는 과정에서 가짜 임 병장 논란이 뜨겁다. 지난 23일 임 병장은 자살시도 직후 강릉아산병원으로 긴급 이송됐다. 당시 실시간으로 방송된 화면에서 임 병장은 모포를 뒤집어 쓴 채 구급차에서 병원으로 이송됐다.
하지만 이송된 임 병장은 군 당국이 내세운 대역이었으며 실제 임 병장은 병원 지하 주차장을 통해 수술실로 이송됐다는 사실이 밝혀졌다. 이에 현장에 있던 대부분의 신문과 방송 언론은 본의 아니게 '가짜 임 병장'을 보도하는 상황이 연출됐다.
국방부 관계자는 ‘가짜 임병장’ 사건에 대해 "임 병장 후송 당시 2대의 구급차가 동원된 것은 맞지만 응급조치 때문에 어쩔 수 없었다"며 “강릉아산병원 측에서 먼저 입구에 취재진이 많으니 대책을 강구해달라고 요청해왔다"고 밝혔다. .
그러나 강릉아산병원 측은 "우리도 환자가 도착해서야 대역인 사실을 알게 됐다"며 "임 병장의 상태가 위급한 상황에서 굳이 수화물 주차장 쪽으로 빼달라고 요청할 이유가 없다"고 반박해 논란이 일었다.
한편 25일 뉴스전문채널 뉴스와이에 출연한 이웅혁 건국대 경찰학과 교수는 "가짜 임 병장 논란은 민간인이 참여하는 것을 극도로 꺼리는 군 폐쇄성이 문제"라고 지적했다. 누리꾼들은 “가짜 임 병장 소식, 대통령은 무슨 생각?” “가짜 임 병장이라, 살다살다 별일을” “가짜 임 병장, 군이 아직 정신 못차린 듯” “가짜 임 병장, 군에 내 아들은 절대 안보낼 것” “가짜 임 병장, 가짜가 판치는 세상이죠?” “가짜 임 병장, 병영 예능부터 폐지해야!” 등의 반응이다. (onlinenews@heraldcorp.com)
<관련 영문 뉴스>
Military blasted for sleight of hand
From the clumsy pursuit of a fugitive sergeant to a deceptive move to divert media attention, the military’s handling of last week’s shooting incident has damaged public trust, critics said Wednesday.
Above all, the use of a soldier posing as the captured sergeant as a decoy for throngs of reporters gathered at a hospital has triggered intense criticism. Media outlets upbraided the armed forces for deceiving them, their readers and viewers.
“Over the course of the operations, the military appeared to be focusing only on diverting public attention. It also seems to view the media as a hindrance rather than a companion with whom they can solve their problems,” said Kim Jong-dae, the chief editor of Defense 21 Plus, a monthly military magazine.
“It all comes down to communication. The military apparently monopolizes its issues and calls on people to follow them. It is a one-way (form of) communication that plants seeds of distrust. What is important is participation and cooperation, which should be the centerpiece of mutual trust.”
On Tuesday, media carried photos of the captured sergeant being transported to a hospital in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, two days after he killed five soldiers and wounded seven others in a shooting rampage.
But the next day, the Defense Ministry admitted that the man, who was on a stretcher with a blanket covering his entire body, was a different soldier.
The ministry explained that the medical staff requested that a decoy be prepared as the throngs of reporters might have hindered treatment. But it regretted owning up to using the decoy only after media reported on the deceptive measure.
Public confidence in the military had already been eroded by the bungled efforts to capture the sergeant.
The military raised its vigilance level two hours after the shooting, despite the sergeant carrying a rifle and dozens of bullets. The military explained that it did not necessarily have to raise its vigilance level immediately after a soldier runs away.
Despite the military’s announcement that it had set up a strong cordon to prevent the sergeant from traveling far, he moved 10 km from his unit within 18 hours of the shooting.
Observers said that the military should seek more transparency in its handling of internal issues and cooperation with the media to avoid causing unnecessary misunderstandings that could damage its public image.
“Of course, the military may think that the media could pose hurdles to its efforts to conduct important military operations, but the military could have dealt with the issue in a more sophisticated way,” said Park Won-gon, security professor at Handong Global University.
“Basically, they may think that they should not do anything that the media could find fault with. But they need to take a step further and move to more actively cooperate with the media (to build trust with them).”
By Song Sang-ho
(
sshluck@heraldcorp.com)
![[Herald Interview] 'Trump will use tariffs as first line of defense for American manufacturing'](http://res.heraldm.com/phpwas/restmb_idxmake.php?idx=645&simg=/content/image/2024/11/26/20241126050017_0.jpg&u=20241126161719)