Former conscripts speak out on hazing

A weeping woman shows a picture of her late son at a press conference in front of the Ministry of National Defense building in Yongsan, Seoul, Aug. 6. She and other bereaved families called on the ministry to help restore the honor of soldiers who died from hazing while serving their mandatory military service. / Yonhap

Activists urge military to uphold human rights

By Park Ji-won, Chung Hyun-chae, Nam Hyun-woo

Koreans are outraged over the death of an Army private first class, surnamed Yoon, who suffered brutal abuse and violence at the hands of his superiors.

Yoon, who belonged to the Army's 28th Division, was brutally beaten by five senior soldiers, then put on an IV drip to recover ― only to be beaten again and endure more torture before his death in April.

Ranking military officials and politicians have vowed to uphold soldiers' rights and prevent future tragedies by establishing a human rights council within the armed forces.

For some men who have already completed their mandatory military service, however, Yoon's story came as no surprise. They have experienced, witnessed, or at least heard of similar cases.

An office worker in Seoul, surnamed Lee, 32, finished his military service in 2007. His superiors subjected him to abuse too, he recalls.

"I still don't understand why I was beaten," he said.

Lee, then a private, was responsible for managing an ammunition depot. He worked with a sergeant, who was younger than him and constantly picked fights to remind Lee of his inferior rank.

"I'm younger than you," the sergeant repeatedly pointed out to Lee. "Is that a problem for you?"

The sergeant often kicked Lee in the stomach and punched him in the neck when
they were alone in the depot.

"I never said anything about his age, but he picked fights with me and repeatedly attacked me," Lee said.

Lee required medical treatment for his injuries, but the sergeant bullied him into remaining silent about how he got his bruises and why he was bleeding. The assaults continued until the sergeant was discharged.

"If I ever met him again, I would definitely have him killed," Lee said.

A soldier holds a rifle while attending a special lecture on human rights at an Army camp in Goyang, northwest of Seoul, Aug. 8. All soldiers are required to attend such lectures amid mounting criticism over hazing in the barracks following the death of an army private first class, surnamed Yoon, who suffered from brutal abuse from his colleagues. / Yonhap

"I still suffer trauma, but there is no one I can complain to about this and get redress," he added. "The government should also come up with measures to help victims like me."

Kim, 28, who was discharged from the Army two years ago, said he had witnessed hazing.

"Many say there is no violence in the military anymore, but I don't believe that," Kim said.

"Some people are slow to understand or do something. And one of my colleagues was like that. Superiors always used foul language when talking to him, and often they even cursed his parents and attacked him."

The victim was bullied for absurd reasons, Kim recalls.

"Verbal abuse and assaults happened because the victim did not follow stupid customs, which obviously had nothing to do with improving combat readiness," he said.

For example, Kim said his colleague was forced to lick shoe polish because his boots were not shiny enough. Another colleague reported the violence to a ranking officer, and the victim was transferred to another barracks. The attackers were sent to the guardhouse.

"It was a rare case, given that other units' officers tend to cover things up to evade close investigation, because officers don't want a mess," he said. "I heard from one of my friends that his colleague committed suicide because of hazing, but the death was recorded as an accident."

Kim declined to elaborate.

An office worker, surnamed Gil, 28, said one of his colleagues served time in the guardhouse for beating an underling.

"While on night duty, he ordered a private first class not to move off a small tile on the floor.

A single move outside of the tile's borders would be followed by assaults," Gil recalled.

Noh, 24, a college senior who completed his service last year, witnessed sexual violence. The victim was a private first class and the perpetrator was a corporal.

"The private first class reported the corporal's deed to the authorities, and the offender was given a military prison term and transferred to a different unit," he said.

These stories are a source of anxiety for young men who still face conscription, and for their parents.

College student Oh, 21, finished his four weeks of basic military training on Aug. 1. Now he works at a food company as part of an alternative civilian service program.

Though he braved the training without any problem, his parents were not as brave.

"Even though the training lasted only a month, I couldn't help worrying about my son," said his mother, surnamed Yoo. "Who knows if something bad will happen within that short time?

"In the photo my son sent, some of his colleagues had tattoos on their arms. After I saw that, I started to worry. What if they bully my son?" she said.

"Other parents [whose sons don't qualify for alternative programs] must have bigger worries, but I also worry about my son's safety."

According to data from the Ministry of National Defense, between 2003 and last year, 874 servicemen died either as a result of suicide or accidents. An average of 80 men died every year.

Human rights activists have long urged the government to take action on violence and bullying in the military. But the response remains tepid, consisting only of vague orders.

In 2012, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) suggested guidelines to safeguard servicemen's human rights. Those were the strongest measures the agency believed it was capable of taking, but apparently they were insufficient.

The NHRC's role is limited ― it can only make suggestions, not binding regulations. However, critics say the watchdog should have been more active in carrying out its duties ― at the very least, it could have disclosed problems to the public.

It was the Center for Military Human Rights that revealed the details of Yoon's case
to the media.

"We have repeatedly urged the military to open itself to the public, allowing civilian human rights experts to visit the barracks and meet with soldiers," said Lim Tae-hoon, a representative of the center. "However, the military kept saying no to civilian experts ― that it would handle intra-military matters by itself."