Immediately after the death of Private Park, who collapsed in an unusual manner at the 12th Division new recruit training unit of the Army, an assistant instructor revealed that the officers who ordered the cruel treatment were seen laughing and talking without realizing the seriousness of the situation.
On the 13th, Chuncheon District Court Criminal Division 2 (Presiding Judge Kim Seong-rae) opened the third trial and witness examination of the people involved in the case of the abuse resulting in death and abuse of power by Captain Kang (27), the company commander, and Lieutenant Nam (25), the deputy company commander.
On that day, instructor A, a training assistant of the unit in question who appeared on the witness stand, claimed in response to the prosecution’s question about the defendants’ attitude after the incident, “I went down to the battalion commander’s office because they said that soldiers needed to receive mental health counseling, and the company commander and deputy company commander were there, joking and laughing and saying things like, ‘I made this yesterday and they said it was delicious,'” a very normal conversation (among officers) was going on.
He continued, “(The deceased) was a trainee in charge of my dormitory, and this was the first time something like this had happened. When he was being sent (to the hospital), I thought he would come back, but when I heard the news of his death, I didn’t know how to react.”
The bereaved family of the deceased Private Park was present at the trial that day, and sighs were heard in the courtroom after Mr. A’s testimony was given.
Lieutenant Nam’s side asked Mr. A whether Lieutenant Nam had given specific instructions to Mr. A to put a certain number of books in his full combat gear at the time, and argued, as in the previous trial, that there was no intent.
After Mr. A saw a media report that Captain Kang, whom he met in the battalion commander’s office after the incident, ignored a sick person, he answered “I didn’t hear that” to Captain Kang’s defense attorney’s question, “Didn’t you ask if there was anyone sick?”
When fellow trainee B’s statement came out that Private Park had shouted “Mom, Mom, Mom” just before he collapsed, the bereaved family and acquaintances expressed their outrage. Person B stated, “I heard from fellow trainee who helped me carry the military gear that (Private Park’s) lips were blue, and he shouted ‘Mom’ three times before he collapsed.” He continued, “The company commander told Private Park to get up as he collapsed, and Private Park just kept repeating, ‘I’m sorry. ‘”
Person B, who was unable to attend the previous trial due to training schedules and other reasons, refused to contact the defendants, so the witness examination was conducted in a separate video conference room.
On that day, the platoon leader of the 12th Division’s new recruit training unit appeared and answered the defendant’s questions about the perpetrators’ usual behavior. However, Captain Kang’s defense attorney did not proceed with the witness examination of Mr. B and the platoon leader.
Captain Kang and Lieutenant Nam are accused of violating military discipline training regulations while conducting military discipline training on six trainees at the 12th Division new recruit training unit in Inje-gun, Gangwon-do on May 23, and of negligently failing to take appropriate action against a trainee who passed out, resulting in the death of the trainee.
Gangwon Provincial Police Agency later sent the two men to the prosecution under arrest on charges of negligent homicide and abuse of power.
Reporter Choi Jae-ho, Donga.com [email protected]
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2024-09-15 23:32:40