By Lee Tae-hoon
A Marine Corps corporal killed four soldiers and wounded another in a shooting spree Monday at his military unit based on Ganghwa Island near the maritime border with North Korea in the West Sea.
“The shooter, identified only as Kim, went on a shooting rampage inside his barracks at 11:50 a.m., killing four and wounding two, including himself,” Kim Tae-eun, a spokesman of the Marine Corps, said in a press conference televised nationwide.
He added that the death toll rose from three to four as an injured private lost his life after being taken to hospital.
A senior Marine Corps official also confirmed that Kim was arrested after attempting to commit suicide with a grenade.
“He tried to take his own life after firing at his fellow soldiers, who were taking a nap in their barracks at 11:50 a.m.,” he added.
The Marine Corps has formed a task force and sent it to the military unit for an investigation, while taking Kim into custody for questioning.
In a press release, the Corps said that the perpetrator may have stolen the rifle and ammunition after finishing his sentry duty at around 10 a.m.
It noted that Staff Sergeant Lee Seung-hoon, Corporal Lee Seung-ryeol and Private Kwon Seung-hyuk died at the scene of the shooting. It added that Corporal Park Chi-hyun died shortly after being taken to the Armed Forces Capital Hospital in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province.
The shooting spree is the worst incident of its kind since 2005.
A conscripted soldier bullied by senior comrades went on the rampage in June 2005 at an Army guard post near the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province.
The soldier threw a hand grenade into barracks where 25 soldiers were sleeping at around 2.30 a.m., instantly killing eight colleagues and wounding two.
He then sprayed 44 rounds from his K-1 rifle, claiming three more lives, at the border post, some 60 kilometers north of Seoul.
Suicides or weapons-related incidents have been a recurring problem in Korea, partly because the majority of the country’s 650,000-strong armed forces are conscripted soldiers.
Experts say many of young soldiers have been exposed to mental and physical abuse and face difficulty adapting to a strict military culture where subordinates must obey superiors and undergo harsh training.
Troops stationed at border units along the DMZ carry live ammunition and grenades.
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