Military Officer's Sentence Increased in Trainee Death Case

In a significant ruling, the Seoul High Court's Chuncheon branch has increased the sentence of a military officer involved in the death of a trainee during unauthorized disciplinary training. The court sentenced 28-year-old Company Commander Kang to 5 years and 6 months in prison, overturning the original 5-year sentence. Meanwhile, the Deputy Commander, 26-year-old Nam, received a 3-year sentence, unchanged from the initial ruling.

The court noted that while the first trial viewed the actions as occurring in the same context, the specific abusive behaviors and mistreatment varied for each victim, allowing for multiple offenses to be recognized. Unlike the first trial, which categorized the actions as a single crime with multiple offenses, the appellate court determined that the defendants committed separate crimes, leading to a more severe sentence.

Kang and Nam were accused of instructing six trainees, including 21-year-old Park, to undergo unauthorized disciplinary training on May 23, 2024, at the Army's 12th Division training center in Inje, Gangwon Province, resulting in Park's death. The day before, on May 22, they had conducted the training due to complaints about noise after lights out. Nam reported the situation to Kang, who approved the training.

During the training, the officers failed to provide the trainees with an opportunity to explain themselves and violated regulations by forcing a trainee who had not received supplies to fill his gear with books. They also made the trainees run while fully equipped, which is against training regulations that only allow walking in such conditions.

Tragically, during the training, Park collapsed, but the officers delayed emergency response, failing to recognize the seriousness of the situation. Park was taken to the hospital but passed away two days later.