A man in his 20s made a junior soldier tremble by shouting "Electric shock" and playing an electric shock game

Court: "Continually Harassed Successor Soldier... Bad Nature of Crime"

A man in his 20s who forced a junior soldier to mimic being electrocuted and coerced him into eating food was sentenced to a fine.

According to Yonhap News on the 16th, the Incheon District Court Criminal Appeals Division 2-3 (Chief Judge Shin Soon-young) overturned the first trial ruling that sentenced A (23), who was charged with abuse of power, harsh treatment, and threats, to one year in prison with a two-year probation, and instead sentenced him to a fine of 10 million won.

In 2021, A was appointed as a squad leader in an infantry division of the Army in Gyeonggi Province. Normally, squad leaders, who are usually corporals or sergeants, have the authority to give orders or instructions to junior soldiers in their squad.

A suddenly brought a leftover wire to Private B (21), who had just been transferred to A’s company, while working and shouted "electric shock." When B was startled, A yelled, "You are being electrocuted right now," and scolded him, "Can you just stand still when you’re electrocuted?" When B hesitated again, A shouted, "That’s not it," and "Act like you’re really electrocuted."

Eventually, B had to lie on the floor in the barracks with other soldiers present, trembling violently for one minute, pretending to be electrocuted.

The harsh electric shock game continued even during roll call. As soon as the words "electric shock" came from A’s mouth again, B repeatedly shook his body as if electrocuted. When he couldn’t do it properly, he copied the imitation of other squad members.

A also forced B to eat food. A took B to the unit’s PX and bought six bags of frozen chicken, two cups of instant noodles, and two drinks. When B asked, "Isn’t this too much?" A ignored him, saying, "You can eat it all." When B said, "I really can’t eat anymore," A forced him to finish everything, saying, "You don’t leave food given by a senior."

Another junior soldier, C, who was transferred about ten days earlier than B, was forced to "talk about sexual experiences or funny stories" in the barracks during bedtime and was unable to sleep until 1 a.m.

The appellate court ruled, "The defendant abused the hierarchical and closed nature of the military to continuously harass the junior soldiers, which is a serious offense," and judged that "the physical and mental suffering experienced by the victims was considerable." However, it also stated the sentencing reasons, "Although the victims who were not settled in the first trial reached agreements in the appeal trial, the defendant is a first-time offender and showed remorse and a repentant attitude."