Name: VIPPER 2005-01-21 6:20
Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-ung yesterday apologized amid mounting anger from the public for the "distressful" news that an Army captain responsible for training fresh draftees allegedly ordered his soldiers to eat human feces.
The 28-year-old company commander, identified as only by his family name Lee, forced the 192 soldiers to pick up feces and suck their fingers as a punishment for not flushing toilets. About half of them followed the order.
The incident took place during recess on Jan.10 in the Korea Army Training Center in Nonsan, some 200 kilometers south of Seoul. The military police took custody of him Thursday morning after some family members filed the complaint to government authorities.
"I am deeply sorry to the recruits, their family members and the public," the minister said in a statement. "I will have the Army conduct a thorough investigation and take stern action on the involved personnel, including those in the chain of command."
The minister ordered special probes in all 36 military boot camps across the country to root out any existing harsh punishment.
Harsh punishment in the name of "strong discipline" has been a constant problem in the military, which maintains a mandatory conscription system to keep about 690,000 military against North Korea's 1.1 million forces.
The public was dumbfounded with the news while some bombarded angry comments onto the Defense Ministry homepage and Internet portal news sites.
"He is insane. How the country could be controlled in the event of war under such commander? He should eat feces in front of the trainees," said Kim Yong-hwan, a 29-year-old public servant at the Labor Ministry.
(smjoo@heraldm.com)
By Joo Sang-min
The 28-year-old company commander, identified as only by his family name Lee, forced the 192 soldiers to pick up feces and suck their fingers as a punishment for not flushing toilets. About half of them followed the order.
The incident took place during recess on Jan.10 in the Korea Army Training Center in Nonsan, some 200 kilometers south of Seoul. The military police took custody of him Thursday morning after some family members filed the complaint to government authorities.
"I am deeply sorry to the recruits, their family members and the public," the minister said in a statement. "I will have the Army conduct a thorough investigation and take stern action on the involved personnel, including those in the chain of command."
The minister ordered special probes in all 36 military boot camps across the country to root out any existing harsh punishment.
Harsh punishment in the name of "strong discipline" has been a constant problem in the military, which maintains a mandatory conscription system to keep about 690,000 military against North Korea's 1.1 million forces.
The public was dumbfounded with the news while some bombarded angry comments onto the Defense Ministry homepage and Internet portal news sites.
"He is insane. How the country could be controlled in the event of war under such commander? He should eat feces in front of the trainees," said Kim Yong-hwan, a 29-year-old public servant at the Labor Ministry.
(smjoo@heraldm.com)
By Joo Sang-min