How is it That's Kaping Valley again...
On the 25th of this month, SBS reported the tragic drowning of Corporal Cho Jae-yoon of the Mechanized Infantry Division in the capital of the South Korean Army in the Kapyeong Valley.
Last September, on a day of comfort and rest due to the prolongation of the COVID-19 pandemic, Corporal Cho Jae-yoon, 20, went to a valley in Gaping, Gyeonggi Province, with his superior soldiers.
On that day, Sergeant A shouted in the army, "Let's hang out like a man," and then looked for companions to go to the valley together, during which he designated that the youngest, Corporal Cho Jae-yun, should go with him.
Corporal Zhao Zaiyun wanted to refuse Sergeant A's request because he was afraid of the water, saying that he wanted to stay in the army to clean the room, and other deputy sergeants also came forward to help Corporal Zhao Zaiyun speak, but Sergeant A insisted on going his own way.
After arriving at the valley, Corporal B played diving first, and Corporal Zhao Zaiyun hesitated because he was afraid. At this time, Sergeant A and Corporal B said, "If you drown, we will save you", so Corporal Zhao Zaiyun jumped down.
It is reported that the water in the valley where Zhao Zaiyun and corporal Yun are located is very deep, and they cannot touch it with a 3-meter-long pole.
Zhao, who was completely unfamiliar with water, began to struggle after Corporal Yun jumped into the water, and although Sergeant A and Corporal B rescued him, they ultimately failed, and Corporal Zhao died in the drowning.
The bereaved families of Corporal Zhao Zaiyun believe that Corporal Zhao Zaiyun actually died because of the coercion of superior soldiers. Because Corporal Zhao Zaiyun could not swim at all, he rarely went to the water's edge in the past, not even to the indoor swimming pool, but he was forced to go to the valley by the superior soldiers, and he was forced to dive...
In February this year, five months after Corporal Zhao's death, the military prosecution characterized Corporal Zhao's death as a simple accident death. Sergeant A and Corporal B have been given a 2-month pay cut for violating the Water Play Attention Directive.
Although the military procuratorate also admitted that Corporal Zhao Zaiyun could not refuse Sergeant A's proposal, it did not admit that Sergeant A and his party were negligent in the death of Corporal Zhao Zaiyun.
In this regard, the basis given by the military procuratorial organs was: "Sergeant A has come to the valley many times to play, so he is very relieved about this place", "Sergeant A did not drink alcohol and tried to rescue Corporal Zhao Zaiyun".
In addition, the soldiers of the unit wrote a statement to Sergeant A, saying that "Sergeant A is an honest officer who takes great care of the lower soldiers", which also played a role in the trial.
The military procuratorate also denied private speculation that Corporal Zhao Zaiyun's death was regarded as an "accident death" (some people pushed Corporal Zhao Zaiyun down the valley), saying: "Corporal Zhao Zaiyun was not forced, and from the analysis of Corporal Zhao Zaiyun's personality, although he was afraid of water, he should have dived out of a challenge motive." ”
Regarding the results of the military procuratorial organs' trial, the survivors of Corporal Zhao Zaiyun expressed their disapproval, they interrupted the funeral procedures of Corporal Zhao Zaiyun, and prosecuted Sergeant A and the head of the unit on suspicion of death by negligence, and asked the Ministry of National Defense and the Military Death Accident Clarification Committee to conduct a new investigation.
The survivors said that the military authorities completely avoided the statements that corporal Zhao Zaiyun had repeatedly mentioned by the parties to the accident, saying "I don't want to go" and "didn't want to jump", and did not investigate the cause of death of Corporal Zhao Zaiyun, but the exoneration investigation of Sergeant A.
A survivor said: "The relevant military personnel gathered the parties involved in the accident and wrote a unified statement. They work in the same unit, how come they don't say nice things? Zhao Zaiyun spent 7 months in the cold refrigerator (frozen body), and none of the military relevant people stepped forward to say sorry to me. ”
"On the day of the incident, Zhao Zaiyun's 20th birthday, I sometimes wake up suddenly when I fall asleep, and then I start pounding the floor in pain, because I miss him too much..."
It is reported that it was not until SBS began the interview that Sergeant A apologized to Cho Jae-yun's widow.
The Army expressed regret and made it clear that "we will do our best to support the survivors, but the criminal process is also fair."
Alas, the little soldier, who was only 20 years old, lost his life in the cold valley water. Although on the surface it seems to be an accidental death, it is difficult to say that the oppression between the upper and lower levels of the army and the predecessors and predecessors is not the real cause of death...