Police Request Arrest Warrant for Company Commander in 'Trainee Punishment Death' Case

Five Days After the First Summons Investigation of the Suspects

The police have applied for arrest warrants for the company commander and other suspects about a month after the occurrence of the 'Death of a Trainee during Disciplinary Training at the Army 12th Division.'

On the 18th, 'Yonhap News' reported that the Gangwon Provincial Police Agency's dedicated investigation team for the trainee death case applied for arrest warrants for the company commander (Captain) and the deputy company commander (First Lieutenant) on charges including negligent homicide and abuse of authority causing harsh treatment.

On the 4th, a press conference condemning the harsh treatment death incident of a recruit in the 12th Army Division and urging a thorough investigation was held in front of the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, attended by parents of current and former soldiers and representatives from the Military Human Rights Center. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The suspects are accused of violating relevant regulations and neglecting their duty of care to prevent accidents while conducting disciplinary training on six trainees at the 12th Division's Recruit Training Battalion in Inje-gun, Gangwon Province, on the 23rd of last month, resulting in the death of one trainee. The Korea Military Human Rights Center previously stated that the cause of death of the trainee was confirmed as multiple organ failure due to septic shock.

During the earlier summons investigation, the police examined the basic facts gathered so far, focusing on the two individuals' violations of disciplinary training regulations and the processes of hospital transfer, medical treatment, and patient transfer.

The suspects were interrogated for long hours from the afternoon until late at night during their first summons. It was also reported that they gave statements differing from the trainees' memories on some factual matters.

Meanwhile, the incident occurred at around 5:20 p.m. on the 23rd of last month at the 12th Division Recruit Training Battalion. One of the six trainees undergoing disciplinary training collapsed and was urgently transported to a civilian hospital for treatment. However, the trainee's condition worsened, and he ultimately passed away on the afternoon of the 25th, two days later.

The disciplinary training the trainees received refers to physical training and mental conditioning conducted by commanders to establish military discipline among soldiers. The Army has determined that the company commander violated relevant regulations prohibiting running and push-ups in full combat gear during disciplinary training, and on the 28th of last month, the case was transferred to the Gangwon Provincial Police Agency for investigation.