South Korean troops corner fugitive soldier wanted over shooting spree
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Version 0 of 1. South Korean troops have surrounded a fugitive soldier who killed fivecolleagues in a gun and grenade attack at the weekend, as his parentsmade another desperate bid to persuade him to surrender.The soldier, an army sergeant who has been identified only by hissurname, Lim, threw a grenade and opened fire on other members of the22nd infantry division on Saturday night at their base near the borderwith North Korea.The incident, in which seven other soldiers were injured, sparked amanhunt that ended on Sunday when troops, assisted by dozens ofhelicopters, tracked the 22-year-old down to a hideout in a forestnear the border town of Goseong in eastern Gangwon province.On Monday, reports said Lim had been cornered by troops, adding thathis parents had made several attempts to persuade him to give himselfup. The defence ministry in Seoul said earlier reports that he hadbeen captured alive were wrong.An estimated 4,000 troops pursued Lim after the shooting and wereunder orders to “shoot to kill” if he failed to surrender. Lim, aconscript who was due to leave the military in September, fled theoutpost after the shooting carrying a K-2 assault rifle and about 60rounds of ammunition.He and several of his pursuers exchanged fire on Sunday night, ashundreds of residents were evacuated to a school building. A platoonleader was wounded in the gunfight.His parents were brought to a forest about six miles (10km) from the borderwith North Korea but have yet to convince their son to give himselfup."He was crying and asked us to hand over the phone so he could speakto his father," Yonhap news agency quoted an unnamed army officer assaying. "He talked to his parents for several minutes, and theypleaded with him to surrender."Military officials are expected to come under pressure to explain whyLim was posted to the border – a particularly tough assignment forinexperienced conscripts – despite concerns over his psychologicalhealth.Last March he was listed as in need of “special attention” andconsidered a suicide risk as he was having difficulty adapting tomilitary life. But he was passed fit to serve at a heavily guardedoutpost after passing another psychological evaluation late last year.The Korea Times said an initial army investigation into the incidenthad exposed shortcomings in the way South Korea manned its frontlineagainst the North."Due to a shortage of troops, even some soldiers on the list ofspecial attention had to be on border guard, which requires soldiersto be heavily armed. Needless to say, the military needs to come upwith remedial measures to address this problem," the paper said in aneditorial.Defence ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok told reporters in Seoul thattroops had closed in on Lim and were able to throw him a mobile phoneso that he could talk to his parents."We are trying to induce changes in his psychological state. Hisparents are trying to make contact at a very close distance, so weexpect him to change his mind with time,” Kim said.Troops have stepped up security in the area, which lies close to theeastern edge of the demilitarised zone [DMZ], a heavily fortifiedborder that has separated North and South Korea since their 1950-53war.Still technically at war with the North, South Korea requires allable-bodied men aged 18-35 to serve up to two years in the military.Conscripts are among the tens of thousands of troops lined up on thesouthern side of the DMZ, where they are often required to spend longhours manning remote outposts, watching for signs of military activityon the other side of the border.Similar incidents have been blamed on bullying and mental healthproblems among young, inexperienced soldiers.In 2011, four South Korean soldiers were killed when a 19-year-oldmarine stationed near the maritime border opened fire on colleaguesbefore trying to blow himself up with a grenade.Six years earlier, an army private set off a grenade, killing eightsoldiers as they slept. He told investigators he had been verballyabused by senior officers. |