Two civilians who were undergoing mandatory military training are dead and three others wounded after a 23 year-old, surnamed Choi, went on a shooting spree, killing a colleague then himself on Wednesday morning in Seocho-gu, southern Seoul.
District police near the Reserve Forces Training Center in Naegok-dong said the incident occurred at the 52 Subordinate Regiment of the Capital Defense Command at 10.44 a.m. when the man opened fire with a K-2 rifle.
The man shot by his colleague was severely injured and later pronounced dead on the way to a nearby hospital. The three others are being treated at Samsung Medical Clinic, Armed Forces Capital Hospital, and Yongdong Severance Hospital.
An army official was quoted as saying, "The incident broke out in the middle of a gunnery exercise with a zeroing target.”
Reserve forces training is mandatory for all Korean men aged 19 and over that are eligible to serve. They have to undergo training once a year to maintain skills and readiness.