Army private found dead in apparent suicide

Sept. 8, 2014 - 09:04 By 신용배

An Army private has been found dead in an apparent suicide in his unit, military officials said Sunday, the latest in a string of deaths in the military.

The 21-year-old soldier, identified only by his family name Song, was found hanged on Saturday night in the coastal city of Sokcho, about 210 kilometers east of Seoul.

Song, who was on the military's list of soldiers "requiring extra care," had told his seniors that he would return after locking the door of a warehouse.

Later, military officials found his body at the warehouse.

The cause of his death was not immediately available.

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 apparent suicides.

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, an incident 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 North Korea across the heavily fortified border. (Yonhap)

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