By Kim Se-jeong
Military prosecutors demanded the death penalty for an Army sergeant accused of beating a junior soldier to death earlier this year.
The prosecution also sought life in prison for three other soldiers over their alleged role in the death of the victim, a private first-class surnamed Yoon.
It also demanded 10 years in prison for another sergeant for negligence and six months in prison for an additional soldier in connection with the assault.
“Although they knew about his fragile mental and physical health, they escalated the degree of the assaults, resulting in his death,” a prosecutor said during a hearing held in a military courthouse in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province.
“Although they may not have had the intention to kill him, they were aware of potentially causing death, and that led us to charge them with murder.”
The move came six months after Yoon died following being hit repeatedly in the chest by the accused at their barracks near the border with North Korea.
The prosecution said they were eating food when the final assault happened, which caused a piece of food to obstruct Yoon’s airway, leading him to die of asphyxiation.
Previously they forced him to eat toothpaste and to lick their spittle from the floor. Also, they poured water in his mouth and hit him with sticks and their fists.
The military prosecution initially indicted the perpetrators on battery charges, but later brought murder charges after the case was reported by the media, prompting criticism of it.
During the hearing, the accused apologized to Yoon’s bereaved family. One family member was expelled from the courtroom after shouting and cursing at them.
Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 30.