Lee Hae-rin is a City Desk reporter at The Korea Times, covering social issues, tourism and taekwondo. She is passionate about speaking up for the rights of minorities, including women, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities and animals as well as discovering the latest makgeolli trend in town. Feel free to reach her at lhr@koreatimes.co.kr.
Marine Corps slammed over service member's death
Marines salute toward a military helicopter carrying the body of a fallen member at a stadium in the town of Yecheon, North Gyeongsang Province, Thursday, after he was found dead in the Naeseong Stream the previous day. Yonhap
By Lee Hae-rin
Public criticism arises as deceased Marine deployed without safety gear
By Lee Hae-rin
The Marine Corps is taking flak for deploying its soldiers to search and rescue operations for victims of the recent heavy rain and flooding in Yecheon, North Gyeongsang Province, without proper safety equipment. The Marine lance corporal, who was swept away by a torrent on Wednesday morning, was found dead 14 hours later.
“Life vests were not given to members who were in the operation near a stream,” Lt. Col. Choi Yong-sun, a Marine Corps spokesperson, said during a press briefing at the defense ministry in Seoul, adding that the military branch is conducting a probe into decisions made at the time and plans to supplement related rules and guidelines.
In response to the floods and landslides caused by recent torrential rains, the defense ministry deployed 12,000 soldiers to 44 regions including Yecheon, with 640 items of equipment for search and rescue operations nationwide on Thursday.
The lance corporal, Chae Su-geun disappeared into the Naeseong stream rapids in Yecheon County, on the second day of his deployment for the underwater search operations there. His body was discovered some 5.8 kilometers downstream from where he first went missing.
When asked whether the Marine has any emergency rescue safety manuals and guidelines, the spokesperson confirmed the armed forces have a disaster scene action guideline, but declined to reveal its content.
Chae's death triggered public criticism regarding the Marine Corps' safety regulations on deployment to search and rescue operations.
The Seoul-based Military Human Rights Center denounced the Marine Corps in a released statement, Thursday that the fallen soldier, an artilleryman whose original duty would have been foot patrol instead of in-water search operations, was forced on an inappropriate mission without proper equipment, possibly due to pressure from superiors.
The center called for extensive investigations into the emergency rescue command system of the defense ministry and the Marine Corps, questioning why the armed forces enforced such impractical and unfeasible rescue plans.
President Yoon Suk Yeol also offered his condolences over the death of the fallen Marine, Thursday.
“I express my sincere condolences to L. Cpl. Chae Su-geun's death in the line of duty,” Yoon said in a message delivered by the presidential spokesperson Lee Do-woon.
“The government will thoroughly investigate the cause of the accident to ensure such incidents do not happen again,” he said, adding that the government will treat the lance corporal with the utmost respect as a person of national merit.
The Marine Corps posthumously promoted Chae for his service by one rank from Marine lance corporal to corporal.