"Why Wasn't a Life Jacket Worn?"... Criticism of Military Safety Negligence Spreads After Marine Corps Member's Death

Private Swept Away by Rapids Found Dead
High River Water Level and Fast Current, but No Safety Equipment

Public outrage is growing as it has been revealed that a Marine who was searching for a missing person in Naeseongcheon, Yecheon, Gyeongbuk, was swept away by a rapid current without even the minimum safety equipment.

On the 19th, Private Chae Su-geun of the Marines, who was swept away by the rapid current in Naeseongcheon, was found dead 14 hours after going missing. Private Chae was deployed to the Naeseongcheon area near Bomun Bridge that morning and, along with other soldiers, formed a "human chain" to search the riverbed for the missing person. This search method involves standing in a line and walking through the water without using the "rope" typically employed by the 119 rescue team during general water accidents.

At 12:47 a.m. on the 20th, a helicopter carrying a Marine soldier who went missing during a search at Gyeongbuk Yecheon Stadium and was found dead took off while receiving salutes from comrades. Photo by Yonhap News

However, around 9:03 a.m. that day, the riverbed suddenly collapsed, and Private Chae was swept away by the rapid current. Two other Marines who fell into the water with him managed to swim out, but Private Chae could not escape.

The problem is that the Marine who was swept away by the rapid current was not wearing basic safety equipment such as a life jacket during the search. Despite the monsoon rains causing high water levels and fast currents in Naeseongcheon, the Marines, including Private Chae, went on the search without wearing life jackets.

As this fact became known, criticism of the Marine Corps' actions has intensified. On the 20th, a netizen posted on the Marine Corps' official website free board, saying, "Why were they sent into those currents without even a single life jacket?" and "They should have been prepared to immediately jump in and rescue in case of an emergency."

Another netizen said, "Would they have been so reckless if it were their own children or siblings?" and added, "Military support to civilians by soldiers without proper safety equipment and training should be immediately stopped."

On the 20th, numerous posts criticizing the Marine Corps' actions were uploaded to the Marine Corps website's free bulletin board. Photo by Marine Corps website

The political sphere criticized the military authorities' safety negligence, calling it a man-made disaster. Kim Ga-young, deputy spokesperson of the Justice Party, said in a briefing on the 20th, "What made a disaster on top of a disaster was the military authorities' safety negligence," and added, "There was a disaster even in the aftermath of the disaster."

She continued, "The military authorities should not try to shift blame by saying that field commanders make flexible judgments depending on the situation," and said, "I hope they take a responsible attitude and make every effort to improve the system so that fundamental safety measures can be ingrained throughout the military."

The Democratic Party of Korea demanded strict punishment for those responsible. In a briefing that day, Sun Da-wit, the party’s full-time deputy spokesperson, stated, "The military authorities must reveal why they forced soldiers into search operations without providing even basic safety equipment," and emphasized, "The military authorities must find and hold accountable the person responsible for deploying a soldier who had been enlisted for less than eight months to a site with strong currents without a life jacket."

Meanwhile, the Marine Corps stated that, considering the situation at the time, it was appropriate to have provided life jackets. Choi Yong-seon, the Marine Corps public relations officer, said at the Ministry of National Defense regular briefing on the 20th, "Life jackets were not provided to participants searching along the riverbank at that time," and added, "We are investigating what judgments were made on site and will supplement regulations and guidelines."