The 'Eolcharyeo Death' Spreading as a Debate on Female Soldiers' Service... The Essence of the Incident [After Deadline]

Military Training Internal Regulations Rendered Ineffective
Discipline Issues Arise from Superior's Emotions
Gender Conflict Intensifies Similar to Female Police Officer Debate
Focus on Gender Over Allegations Obscures Incident's Essence

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An incident in which an Army recruit died while undergoing military discipline training (eolchalyeo) has sharply escalated into a gender conflict. Although the essence of the case was the abuse of power by a superior who violated military regulations, the fact that the abusive superior was a ‘female’ has been highlighted, spreading the controversy to even question the effectiveness of female soldiers.

Claims such as “Female soldiers should not be allowed to command troops,” “Have female soldiers ever carried a full combat load?” and “The problem is having a female company commander” are intensifying mainly in male online communities. The political sphere has also joined in. Lee Ki-in, Supreme Council Member of the Reform New Party, disclosed the suspect’s real name, and former lawmaker Jeon Yeo-ok claimed it was “an incident caused by extreme feminists.” Lynch mobbing (private punishment) and doxxing in the form of public trials are also spreading.

Focusing on Gender Instead of Charges... Does It Help Solve the ‘Military Discipline Culture’?

Experts agree that the female company commander suspect should be thoroughly investigated and punished to set an example, but they point out that focusing on ‘gender’ rather than the ‘charges’ is inappropriate. As former Army Training Center Commander Ko Sung-kyun mentioned on the 31st of last month, this is “an incident caused by ‘violation of regulations’ and ‘careless attitude,’ regardless of gender.” The core issue is the internal military culture where harsh military discipline training (eolchalyeo) close to abuse is carried out.

Professor Yoon Kim Ji-young of Changwon University’s Department of Philosophy told this publication in a phone interview, “This should be seen as a case of military regulation violation caused by the vertical and oppressive military system, but it is problematic that the company commander’s gender being ‘female’ is misleadingly portrayed as an exceptional or special case.” Professor Yoon especially noted, “If this is framed as an attack on female leadership in a male-dominated group, it could erase the issue of violence that has long been overlooked within the military command structure.”

If the recruit’s death is viewed only from a gender perspective, the core cause?the ‘ineffectiveness of military discipline regulations’?may be obscured, and the focus could shift to untimely debates about ‘the uselessness of female soldiers and calls for their abolition.’

Military Discipline Training Regulations Rendered Ineffective... Eolchalyeo Depends on Superior’s Mood

In fact, internal military regulations such as the Military Service Basic Act stipulate that “daily military discipline training should be conducted within two hours, and if it exceeds one hour, a break must be given.” Army Regulation 120 on Barracks Life also details the authority, conditions, procedures, and methods for such training. The company commander in question is accused of neglecting these military regulations and causing the recruit’s death by professional negligence.

Kim Hyung-nam, Secretary General of the Military Human Rights Center, said, “There are already detailed regulations on eolchalyeo in military rules. The problem arises from a military environment where eolchalyeo is enforced based on the superior’s emotions and mood.” Kim especially added, “(Taking this incident as an opportunity) we need to reconsider whether military discipline training that causes physical pain should be maintained. There are alternative penalty methods such as assigning service or work duties within the unit, so I think it is necessary to review the current eolchalyeo method.”

Escalation into Misogyny Controversy Similar to Female Police Ineffectiveness Debate... Only Worsens Gender Conflict

Stock photo unrelated to the article (Photo by Yonhap News)

Some point out that this issue is similar to the ‘female police ineffectiveness debate.’ In fact, the so-called ‘female police ineffectiveness debate’ based on edited videos after the 2019 ‘Daerim-dong incident’ has been a recurring ‘misogyny’ topic in male-dominated communities. The ‘Daerim-dong incident’ involved a rumor spread through a short video in male communities that a female police officer in a restaurant in Guro-gu, Seoul, failed to restrain an intoxicated person, and a citizen had to handcuff him. Although it was later found that the female officer’s on-site response was appropriate, rumors persisted that female officers were physically weaker and could not properly respond on the scene.

Professor Lee Woong-hyuk of Konkuk University’s Department of Police Science said, “The female police ineffectiveness debate should have been viewed from the perspective of the police’s initial response system, but it intertwined with latent gender conflicts and escalated into a misogyny controversy. This current issue also involves the fact that ‘the superior is female and the trainee is male,’ which amplified the gender conflict. Riding on such gender conflicts risks obscuring the essence of the incident and distorting gender hatred rather than discussing appropriate responses.”