Marine completes his final mission and heads for Pohang wrapped in a Taegeukgi and saluted by fellow Marines

Around 12:47 a.m. July 20, a helicopter carrying a Marine found dead while searching for missing persons takes off from Yecheon Stadium in Gyeongsangbuk-do as fellow Marines salute the dead soldier. Yonhap News

A Marine who died, swept away by the current, while searching for people missing after the downpour in Naeseongcheon River in Yecheon, Gyeongsangbuk-do was transported to the Pohang Naval Hospital. As a helicopter carried him off to Pohang, his fellow Marines saluted him and sent off their colleague, who had completed his final mission.

According to the Gyeongbuk Fire Service Headquarters, Private A of the Marine Corps 1st Artillery Battalion was covered in a Taegeukgi and transported to the Pohang Naval Hospital on a helicopter at around 12:45 a.m. July 20.

Private A was found on the right side of the river 400m downstream from Gopyeong-daegyo Bridge in Naeseongcheon River at 11:08 p.m. July 19. A drone operated by the Gyeongbuk 119 Special Response Unit identified Private A in his red shirt during a nighttime search, and the search team recovered his body. Private A’s family, who had stayed near the search site, also left for the hospital. Reportedly, A’s family lamented saying, “Company Commander, if only you had him wear a life vest, he would have lived...”

Private A was dispatched to the site of a flood in Yecheon on July 19. He went missing after being swept by the current at around 9:05 a.m. Wednesday while searching for missing persons in Naeseongcheon River. The accident occurred when the soldiers were searching for missing persons using probes in the river. At the time, the water came up to somewhere between an adult male’s knee and waist.

Three soldiers, including A, fell when the ground suddenly gave way, but two of the soldiers managed to swim to safety. The Marine Corps has come under fire for dispatching soldiers to the search site without proper protective gear such as a life vest.

The Marine Corps announced that they would conduct a general inspection on the safety of the troops dispatched to flood recovery operations and make improvements.