Army commanders given prison sentences over recruit's death during training
An Army Company Commander, indicted over a recruit's death during disciplinary training, center, leaves the Chuncheon District Court, Gangwon Province, June 21, 2024. Yonhap
Two Army company commanders were sentenced by a court Tuesday to prison terms of five and three years, respectively, in connection with the death of a trainee soldier in May last year following a grueling disciplinary training session.
The company and deputy company commanders affiliated with the 12th Infantry Division in Inje, 126 kilometers northeast of Seoul, were convicted of illegally subjecting six recruits to a disciplinary session on May 23, resulting in the death of one of them.
The Chuncheon District Court handed out a five-year prison sentence to the company commander, a 28-year-old captain surnamed Kang, and a three-year prison sentence to the deputy company commander, a 26-year-old first lieutenant surnamed Nam, after finding them guilty of abuse of power and abuse resulting in death.
Prosecutors demanded prison terms of 10 years and seven years, respectively, for the two in the previous court hearing.
The court said the defendants carried out harsh military training that was not suitable for the physical conditions of the victims receiving the military recruit training. It also noted that such abnormal military training lowers military morale and combat power and reduces the public's trust in the military. (Yonhap)