By Jun Ji-hye
The number of draftees considered to be at risk of committing suicide continues to increase, raising doubts about the military’s treatment programs for them.
According to the Ministry of National Defense, Monday, the number of soldiers who entered the Green Camp, a rehabilitation center for maladjusted soldiers, rose to 3,132 last year from 2,582 in 2012 and 2,657 in 2013.
As of June 30 this year, the number was 1,725.
The military has established 24 such camps for the Army and four for the Navy in an effort to help draftees who have trouble adjusting to life in the barracks and are at risk of committing suicide, better adjust to military life through professional counseling and treatment programs.
But the number of soldiers who failed to be rehabilitated and were eventually classified as unfit for service has also increased ― 417 in 2012, 467 in 2013 and 826 in 2014.
Citing the figures, critics have questioned the effectiveness of the programs.
Rep. Baek Kun-ki of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy, who belongs to the National Assembly Defense Committee, said the military had neglected “soldiers under close watch.”
He said that of 136 soldiers who committed suicide from 2012 to August this year, 64 had already been categorized as possibly suicidal.
Of the 40 soldiers who committed suicide in 2014, 23 (57.5 percent) had been categorized as under close watch, Baek said.
Public attention that year was focused on soldiers with problems after a deadly shooting spree by a sergeant, 22, who had also been classified. The sergeant, identified only as Lim, tried to kill himself after killing five comrades, but was captured alive and is now on trial.
Rep. Baek claimed most of those soldiers might have shown the classic symptoms of depression, saying the military could have prevented their suicides if it had managed the soldiers consistently and effectively.
“The military had not taken the extra care even after it had detected those who were at risk,” Baek said. “If the military failed to prevent these soldiers’ suicides, although it was aware of their symptoms, it is negligence in management.”
In response, the ministry said it would improve programs at the Green Camps and develop customized programs by 2018 to help soldiers who displayed a range of symptoms.
The ministry plans to invest 300 million won ($250,000) in the camp for the Army’s 1st Corps.
The ministry also said it was doing more to filter out men at risk from the beginning by strengthening personality tests in the draft examination.
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