Deletion of Trainees' Responses Related to Physical Training
Ministry of National Defense Explains "Excluded Due to Ongoing Investigation"
Cheon Ha-ram, a lawmaker from the Reform New Party, raised allegations that a survey related to 'eolchalyeo' disciplinary training conducted on trainees immediately after an incident at the Army's 12th Division, where a trainee died during such training in May, was concealed.
According to materials received by Rep. Cheon from the Ministry of National Defense on the 25th, the 12th Division's Inspection Department conducted a survey on May 28, shortly after the trainee death incident, targeting the 24-9th batch trainees of the 12th Division's Recruit Training Battalion, who were in the same cohort as the deceased trainee.
The survey asked about human rights violations and harsh treatment within the recruit training unit, including an item asking whether there had been any 'eolchalyeo' disguised as recruit training and discipline. Among the 234 respondents, 76 answered that such training had occurred.
Subsequently, the Inspection Department prepared a report based on the survey results and reported it to the division commander. Rep. Cheon stated that during this process, all specific trainee responses related to 'eolchalyeo' were deleted.
Rep. Cheon claimed that all original survey response sheets written by the trainees were destroyed, and that survey responses from previous recruit training cohorts were also discarded.
Rep. Cheon criticized, "All original key materials related to the investigation were destroyed, and the relevant content was deleted from the report, making it impossible to verify the specific testimonies of fellow trainees regarding the 12th Division trainee death incident. This is an act that raises suspicions that the military is systematically downplaying and concealing the incident."
In response, the Ministry of National Defense explained, "The matters related to 'eolchalyeo' are already under investigation by investigative agencies, so it was deemed inappropriate to reflect them in the survey results, and thus they were excluded."
Regarding the reason for destroying the survey responses, the Ministry stated, "There was a concern that the personal information of the survey respondents could be exposed."
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