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| This undated file photo shows enlisted soldiers in Korea. A number of cases have surfaced of low-ranking soldiers facing abusive and violent treatment at the hands of their superiors. Korea Times file |
By Ko Dong-hwan
A Korean Marine Corps member has been hospitalized after one of his division superiors abused him last month, inflicting a concussion and leaving him with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a civilian watchdog reported Thursday.
A corporal at the 2nd Marine Division based in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, on June 19 targeted a lance corporal who couldn't recall the ranks of his superiors in the division when he was asked. As a punishment, the corporal took the victim to an area inside the camp out of the view of security cameras and assaulted him for 40 minutes. The attacker also called the victim an animal and ordered him to make noises like a dog, a cat and a sheep, according to the Center for Military Human Rights Korea (MHRK).
That evening, the corporal, discovering that the victim had taken a shower earlier than he had, ordered him to strip naked and apologize to each of his superiors in the camp.
The abuse continued on June 22, when the victim lost consciousness while again being beaten by the same assailant. MHRK said the victim was taken to a nearby hospital with a concussion but the camp didn't inform the hospital of the fact that his injuries were the result assault by his superior. He was ultimately hospitalized.
The watchdog further accused other members of the camp of inflicting secondary abuse on the victim by causing him additional psychological distress when the victim was discharged from the hospital and returned to the camp. Some of the soldiers taunted the victim and criticized him for being weak.
The corporal, following the victim's hospitalization, was transferred to a different division. He then called the victim after his discharge from the hospital and explained his violent behavior, claiming he had "wanted to train the lance corporal to be tough."
The MHRK said the incident proves that an unethical group culture is deeply rooted across the country's Marine Corps divisions ― discouraging members from reporting abuse against lower-ranking officers and shunning whistleblowers.
"The victim has been suffering from PTSD, depression and mental disorientation until late this month," the MHRK said. "He has been admitted to a hospital again to receive psychological treatment."
The human rights watchdog group, at a press conference on Thursday, urged the Republic of Korea Marine Corps based in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, to penalize not only the corporal but also those who stood by while the abuse was occurring.
The Marine Corps said following the press conference that they separated the harasser and the victim after the incidents and put the victim in a private hospital as he had requested.
"Military police are investigating the case right now and we expect it will be strictly assessed from a legal standpoint," said the authority.
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