Delayed due to heavy rain... Heated debate over 'unauthorized absence' in reserve forces training

"Late Due to Heavy Rain but Marked Absent for Reserve Forces Training"
Too Harsh vs Rules Must Be Followed

On the morning of the 17th, when heavy rain fell in the Seoul metropolitan area, rainwater poured into a tributary of Cheonggyecheon in Seoul, causing the water to overflow onto the Cheonggyecheon walkway, resulting in restricted access. Commuters are crossing the Baeogae Bridge over Cheonggyecheon. Photo by Heo Younghan younghan@

A heated debate erupted online over a story in which a reservist was marked as 'absent without leave' after being late to a reserve forces training due to heavy rain, claiming it was unfair.

According to a YTN report on the 31st, Mr. A left his home 1 hour and 10 minutes before the scheduled reserve training at the Geumgok Reserve Training Center in Namyangju-si, Gyeonggi Province on the 17th.

He thought he had left with plenty of time since the distance usually takes 30 to 40 minutes, but the situation on the road was different. Due to heavy rain flooding the roads, severe traffic congestion continued. Eventually, Mr. A arrived at the training center around 9:56 AM.

Afterwards, Mr. A received shocking news. Only those who arrived by 9:30 AM were allowed to enter, and everyone else would be marked as 'absent without leave' for the training.

Despite protesting for a long time at the entrance, Mr. A was ultimately not allowed to enter the training center that day.

The military explained, "If we accept all latecomers, the training would be delayed and those who arrived on time would be disadvantaged, so we had to follow the regulations." They added, "Even if marked as absent without leave, additional training opportunities are provided up to the third session, so there is no disadvantage."

Many netizens responded to the news by saying things like, "What about those who came early considering all that?", "If you accept everything like this, it's not a military," and "Why is this unfair? It's only natural," expressing that marking as absent without leave was justified.

On the other hand, voices calling for regulations to be revised for natural disasters also continued. They expressed complaints such as, "Heavy rain is something you can't control, so let's not be so strict," and "This country really seems hard to live in as a young man."