SEOUL, South Korea Jun 21, 2005 A deadly rampage by an army
conscript guarding the last Cold War fronter is heightening
concerns about discipline in the South Korean military and its
ability to defend the country against the communist North.
There already were worries because of recent lapses in security
along the Demilitarized Zone, which has divided the peninusla since
a cease-fire halted the Korean War in 1953 but left the two nations
facing off across one of the world's most heavily armed
borders.
Two years of military service is compulsory for South Korean men,
and the army is notorious for mistreatment of conscripts. After a
trooper killed eight fellow soldiers Sunday, the Defense Ministry
admitted a culture of harassment permeates the military, and
President Roh Moo-hyun called for a review of discipline.
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Pfc. Kim Dong-min, 22, described by investigators as a timid
computer-game fan, reportedly was angered by taunts from an
officer. He allegedly threw a grenade into a barracks full of
sleeping soldiers and fired dozens of shots at officers.
The same day, two other conscripts committed suicide while on duty,
apparently due to the pressures of their service.
One hanged himself with his shoelaces, and his family said he had
written in a diary that he was embarrassed at being beaten in front
of other soldiers and feared further abuse. Another private set
himself on fire.
The three incidents added to concerns about military efficiency
following recent stumbles in keeping the border secure.
Just last week, a man who apparently was a North Korean soldier was
found wandering around south of the DMZ seeking to defect. In
April, the North returned a fisherman whose boat drifted across the
sea border while he was drunk after the South's navy failed to
force him to turn back.
"The fact that these things happen one after another shows that
there are huge faults and problems with the military discipline and
security conditions," said Park Geun-hye, leader of the main
opposition Grand National Party, which called Tuesday for the
defense minister's resignation.
