An incident occurred where an Army trainee who had been enlisted for 9 days died while undergoing military discipline training (called Eolcharyeo), and a post written by the father of a trainee who was receiving the same punishment at the time has drawn attention.
On the 29th, multiple online communities shared a post titled "A post by the father of one of the 6 trainees who received Eolcharyeo in the 12th Division." The post was uploaded on the 28th to the trainee family community "The Camp," where the author, Mr. A, introduced himself as "the father of one of the 6 children in the 12th Division."
Previously, on the 23rd, six trainees at the 12th Division's New Recruit Training Battalion in Inje, Gangwon Province, underwent military discipline training, and one of them collapsed and was urgently transferred to a civilian hospital, but his condition worsened and he died two days later.
Mr. A stated, "Our son was caught while wriggling on the bed to go to the bathroom and was subjected to Eolcharyeo without being able to say anything." He added, "Who do you think you are to treat our sons like that? Don’t do it recklessly. Honestly, I want to kill them all," expressing anger by saying, "Is this something you do to kids who have been in for less than 10 days?" He also vented his frustration using harsh language such as "damn bastards."
Post titled 'A Father's Letter Among Six Recruits Punished by the 12th Division' [Photo by Online Community]
Mr. A continued, "With this happening, the country should stop talking about population decline," criticizing, "From daycare centers to the military, where can we entrust our children?"
He also expressed his outrage, saying, "Victims’ families live in pain for life, while perpetrators serve only a few years and live as if nothing happened. I really hate this country," and "Would you apply these laws if it happened to your children? Because the law is terrible, these bad guys run rampant."
He said, "Regardless of training or anything else, I want to bring my son back immediately."
Netizens who read the post responded with comments such as "Every word is true," "Who would want to have children? I completely agree," "It’s so sad that there’s nowhere to entrust children from daycare to the military," and "Who would want to have kids in a country like this?"
Meanwhile, on the military support website "The Camp," posts from parents, families, and acquaintances worried about their children in the military continue daily. One author wrote, "I am a mother who just passed the first week since sending my son to the training center," adding, "I cannot help but feel sadness and anger over the training center accident news. All the sons are precious. We entrusted them to the country, so please ensure they return home healthy."
Other posts expressing anxiety followed, such as "They say nothing happened, so don’t worry, but should I believe my son?" and "Seeing these incidents keep happening, I feel like running to the military right now to bring my son home."
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