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Associated Press Writer
June 21, 2005, 4:55 PM EDT
There already were worries because of recent lapses in security along the Demilitarized Zone, which has divided the peninusla since a cease-fire halted the Korean War in 1953 but left the two nations facing off across one of the world's most heavily armed borders.
Pfc. Kim Dong-min, 22, described by investigators as a timid computer-game fan, reportedly was angered by taunts from an officer. He allegedly threw a grenade into a barracks full of sleeping soldiers and fired dozens of shots at officers.
The same day, two other conscripts committed suicide while on duty, apparently due to the pressures of their service.
One hanged himself with his shoelaces, and his family said he had written in a diary that he was embarrassed at being beaten in front of other soldiers and feared further abuse. Another private set himself on fire.
The three incidents added to concerns about military efficiency following recent stumbles in keeping the border secure.
Just last week, a man who apparently was a North Korean soldier was found wandering around south of the DMZ seeking to defect. In April, the North returned a fisherman whose boat drifted across the sea border while he was drunk after the South's navy failed to force him to turn back.
"The fact that these things happen one after another shows that there are huge faults and problems with the military discipline and security conditions," said Park Geun-hye, leader of the main opposition Grand National Party, which called Tuesday for the defense minister's resignation.
Duty at the DMZ can be lonely. There is no phone contact with loved ones during 100-day assignments for conscripts, and regular mail takes a week to arrive, said Choi Kwang-soo, 24, a student who in 2003 served at the same post where Sunday's shooting occurred.
But Choi said the isolated frontier posts can in some ways be easier than being at a regular base because there aren't any high-ranking officers around.
Kim, who appears slender and wears clear-rimmed glasses in a self-portrait posted on his Web site, allegedly plotted his Sunday rampage for two days after an officer swore at him for not offering to help clean a kitchen drain.
"His superiors probably scolded him because he didn't do his job well," said Choi, who completed his military service last year. "If you do your job well, they don't bother you."
South Korean media have been filled with commentary questioning whether a generational divide is to blame. Today's young people are more focused on individualism and are living in more prosperity than their parents did, and they are growing up at a time when they see the Seoul government striving to reconcile with the North.
Earlier this year, South Korea's Defense Ministry changed its guidelines to no longer name the North its "main enemy." And last week, a South Korean minister met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il where the sides pledged to improve cooperation and move toward reunification.
"The enlisted men have no idea what they are sacrificing their youth for and why on Earth they should forgo a good night's sleep to stand sentry duty," the South's leading conservative newspaper, Chosun Ilbo, wrote in an editorial this week. "Our military is now unable to explain against whom the soldiers should defend the state."
Parents whose young men are heading to military service are increasinly anxious over what awaits their sons after the killing rampage.
"I thought the military was something worth experiencing for boys, but I worry something like this will happen," said Kim Sun-young, 46, a university lecturer whose 21-year-old son has finished half of his army stint. "It is every mother's horror that they lose their child to something like this."
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Associated Press writer Victoria Kim contributed to this report.
rampage-날뛰다 성내다
lapses-나빠지다
taunts-모욕, 경멸적인 질책
conscripts-징집
bbc에서
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Vietnam's PM in White House talks | ||||||||
During the talks, Mr Bush accepted an invitation to visit Vietnam next year, and said he would back Hanoi's bid to join the World Trade Organization. Mr Khai is the first Vietnamese leader to visit the US since the end of the Vietnam War 30 years ago. Vietnamese exiles have held protests, criticising Hanoi's human rights record Trade ties Vietnam hopes to join the WTO by the end of the year. "We agreed Vietnam's accession will be in the benefits of both countries," Mr Khai said, adding that the two countries hoped to conclude bilateral negotiations soon. But the US Congress would have to vote on any deal to allow Vietnam to join the WTO and the body is concerned about the country's human rights record. Thirty years after the war, the US is Vietnam's biggest trading partner. Two-way trade has soared from $1.5bn (£800m) in 2001 to $7bn (£3.8bn) in 2004. 'Differences' The two leaders announced that they had signed an agreement to broaden freedom of religious worship in Vietnam but did not go into any details about the document. Human rights activists and Congressional leaders had written to President Bush asking him to express concern about Vietnam's record on human rights. There are estimated to be around 100 religious prisoners, and several journalists, in Vietnam's jails. Mr Khai said both leaders agreed that differences remained between the two countries due to different histories and cultures, but he hoped "constructive dialogue" would help to overcome those differences. Mr Bush praised Vietnam's efforts to trace the remains of US soldiers missing from the Vietnam War, in which two million Vietnamese and some 60,000 US troops died. "It's very comforting to many families here in America to understand that the government is providing information to help close a sad chapter in their lives," Mr Bush said. Military programme In addition to trade ties, the US also sees Vietnam as strategically important in a region where China's influence is increasingly strong, says BBC state department correspondent Jonathan Beale. Mr Khai is due to hold talks with US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to discuss military ties. Mr Khai has told The Washington Post that the two will announce that Vietnam is to join the Pentagon's International Military Education and Training [Imet] programme. Such a move would also need to be approved by Congress. Korean Conscript's Rampage Raises Concern
Associated Press Writer June 21, 2005, 4:55 PM EDT SEOUL, South Korea -- A deadly rampage by an army conscript guarding the
last Cold War fronter is heightening concerns about discipline in the South
Korean military and its ability to defend the country against the communist
North.
There already were worries because of recent lapses in security along the Demilitarized Zone, which has divided the peninusla since a cease-fire halted the Korean War in 1953 but left the two nations facing off across one of the world's most heavily armed borders. Two years of military service is compulsory for South Korean men, and the
army is notorious for mistreatment of conscripts. After a trooper killed eight
fellow soldiers Sunday, the Defense Ministry admitted a culture of harassment
permeates the military, and President Roh Moo-hyun called for a review of
discipline.
Pfc. Kim Dong-min, 22, described by investigators as a timid computer-game fan, reportedly was angered by taunts from an officer. He allegedly threw a grenade into a barracks full of sleeping soldiers and fired dozens of shots at officers. The same day, two other conscripts committed suicide while on duty, apparently due to the pressures of their service. One hanged himself with his shoelaces, and his family said he had written in a diary that he was embarrassed at being beaten in front of other soldiers and feared further abuse. Another private set himself on fire. The three incidents added to concerns about military efficiency following recent stumbles in keeping the border secure. Just last week, a man who apparently was a North Korean soldier was found wandering around south of the DMZ seeking to defect. In April, the North returned a fisherman whose boat drifted across the sea border while he was drunk after the South's navy failed to force him to turn back. "The fact that these things happen one after another shows that there are huge faults and problems with the military discipline and security conditions," said Park Geun-hye, leader of the main opposition Grand National Party, which called Tuesday for the defense minister's resignation. Duty at the DMZ can be lonely. There is no phone contact with loved ones during 100-day assignments for conscripts, and regular mail takes a week to arrive, said Choi Kwang-soo, 24, a student who in 2003 served at the same post where Sunday's shooting occurred. But Choi said the isolated frontier posts can in some ways be easier than being at a regular base because there aren't any high-ranking officers around. Kim, who appears slender and wears clear-rimmed glasses in a self-portrait posted on his Web site, allegedly plotted his Sunday rampage for two days after an officer swore at him for not offering to help clean a kitchen drain. "His superiors probably scolded him because he didn't do his job well," said Choi, who completed his military service last year. "If you do your job well, they don't bother you." South Korean media have been filled with commentary questioning whether a generational divide is to blame. Today's young people are more focused on individualism and are living in more prosperity than their parents did, and they are growing up at a time when they see the Seoul government striving to reconcile with the North. Earlier this year, South Korea's Defense Ministry changed its guidelines to no longer name the North its "main enemy." And last week, a South Korean minister met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il where the sides pledged to improve cooperation and move toward reunification. "The enlisted men have no idea what they are sacrificing their youth for and why on Earth they should forgo a good night's sleep to stand sentry duty," the South's leading conservative newspaper, Chosun Ilbo, wrote in an editorial this week. "Our military is now unable to explain against whom the soldiers should defend the state." Parents whose young men are heading to military service are increasinly anxious over what awaits their sons after the killing rampage. "I thought the military was something worth experiencing for boys, but I worry something like this will happen," said Kim Sun-young, 46, a university lecturer whose 21-year-old son has finished half of his army stint. "It is every mother's horror that they lose their child to something like this." * __ Associated Press writer Victoria Kim contributed to this report.
lapses-나빠지다 taunts-모욕, 경멸적인 질책 conscripts-징집
bbc에서
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