Arrest warrants issued for army officers charged in boot camp death

The Chuncheon District Court issued arrest warrants for two military officers charged with the death of a new conscript in training.

A first lieutenant wearing a ball cap, suspected of being involved in the death of a trainee soldier, heads toward the Chuncheon District Court in Gangwon for a hearing session to assess the ligitimacy of an arrest warrant on Friday. [YONHAP]

The Chuncheon District Court on Friday issued arrest warrants for two military officers who were involved in the death of a new conscript who collapsed during a military drill last month.

A captain and a first lieutenant — charged with power abuse and occupational negligence — were detained immediately after the court issued the warrants.

The issuance comes nearly a month since the soldier died of heatstroke two days after he fainted while being punished on orders from the two officers on May 23.

The two Army officers were accused of ordering six trainee soldiers to undergo excessive military punishment — in a way that violated the military code — and mistreating the fallen soldier.

The judge acknowledged the need to hold the two suspects in custody, adding that they carry a “risk of tampering with evidence.” The judiciary noted that there is “reasonable grounds to believe the officers committed crimes charged” against them.

The court held a hearing with the suspects in the morning on Friday.

On their way to the court, the two refused to respond to reporters asking whether they admitted to the charges or why they had contacted the bereaved family of the victim.

The captain remained silent, and the other briefly saying, “I am sorry.”

The Gangwon Provincial Police Agency filed a request for the arrest warrants with the Chuncheon District Prosecutors’ Office on Tuesday, which prompted the prosecutors to seek the warrant on Wednesday.

BY LEE SOO-JUNG [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]