Jun Ji-hye, a reporter at the finance desk of The Korea Times, focuses primarily on economic policy and government agencies, mainly covering the Ministry of Finance and Economy, the Ministry of Budget and Planning, the National Tax Service and the Korea Customs Service. She previously covered financial authorities, including the Financial Services Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service, and earlier worked on the political, city and business desks, reporting on a wide range of issues.
2 Special Forces soldiers die in training
By Jun Ji-hye
Two Special Forces soldiers died while training on Tuesday, apparently from suffocation, the Army said Wednesday.
The deaths occurred while the Armed Forces is currently under scrutiny for incidents involving hazing in the ranks.
Army officials said that the two staff sergeants, aged 21 and 23, died about 10:40 p.m. at a camp of the Special Warfare Command in Jeungpyeong, North Chungcheong Province.
Another solider collapsed but recovered.
According to the officials, the three spent more than an hour on their knees with their hands tied behind their backs and hoods pulled over their faces. Five soldiers were in the group.
“The three collapsed and were taken to a hospital, but the two died,” Army spokesman Choi Yong-han told reporters.
“Doctors say suffocation appears to blame for the deaths, while an investigation is underway into the exact cause of their deaths and exactly what happened to them,” he added.
It is not known what the conditions of the training area were, but there is speculation that it was an extreme challenge that normal people could not endure.
The Army emphasized that there was no torture or violence, apparently wary of the deaths being associated with a series of recent incidents involving hazing in military barracks.
Taking a leaf from America’s book, the South Korean military adopted such a high-intensity exercise for its troops this year for the first time. The exercise is meant to help soldiers survive captivity situations.
Countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia run exercises in which soldiers go through a process of mock kidnapping during training in special warfare units, and there have also been some fatalities, according to officials.
The latest tragic incident has backed the military further into corner with mounting criticism that the exercise involved excesses although it was unfamiliar to the South Korean forces.
Critics argue that if the soldiers died from suffocation, it proves that the military took inadequate precautionary measures.
In response to the criticism, the Special Forces explained that preparation for the training was thorough, but admitted to failing to properly manage the intensive and dangerous training.
The military authorities are monitoring CCTV footage and questioning survivors to find out how the incident happened and whether there were any problems.