Lee Hyo-sik is Finance Desk editor at The Korea Times. He manages finance-related stories on macroeconomics, banks, stocks, bonds, crypto etc. He is passionate about covering what's happening in Korea's financial industry and explaining it to both Korean and non-Korean readers. You can reach him at leehs@koreatimes.co.kr. Your insights and feedbacks are always appreciated.
Soldier on leave jumps to death
By Lee Hyo-sik
A 19-year-old soldier jumped to his death from an apartment building in Seoul late Tuesday night after failing to report back to his unit.
According to the Gwangjin Police Station Wednesday, the soldier was found dead on a lawn near an apartment building in Jayang-dong, Gwanjin District, at 11:30 p.m. A patrolling security guard found him and reported it to the police.
The soldier, stationed at an artillery division in Hwacheon, Gangwon Province, was supposed to return to his base Tuesday after being on leave for several days.
Police said a suicide note was discovered in the hallway on the apartment’s 11th floor. The note read ``My life is a failure. I want to be reborn.’’
``Under the circumstances, we think the soldier jumped off from the apartment building to kill himself. The discovery of the note further confirms that he committed suicide,’’ a police officer said.
According to the bereaved family, the soldier left home early Tuesday to return to the base by taking an express bus from the Eastern Seoul Bus Terminal in Gwangjin District.
Family members were searching for his whereabouts when it was reported that he did not show up at his unit.