Air Force junior officer found dead in dormitory

Defense

Published: 29 May. 2024, 13:42 Updated: 29 May. 2024, 19:01

Air Force junior officer found dead in dormitory

An image of an ambulance [JOONGANG ILBO]

A young Korean Air Force officer was found dead in his dormitory room earlier this week.

The Air Force said Wednesday that the body of a company-grade officer in his 20s was discovered in his dormitory located outside of a base in Gyeonggi on Monday.

The police and emergency services received a report from a military colleague who found the junior officer dead upon visiting his dormitory after he failed to report for duty that day.

A memo, believed to be a suicide note, was also discovered at the scene.

The military and police are currently investigating the exact cause of the officer’s death, according to an Air Force official.

Lately, there has been a spate of military personnel deaths.

Most recently, also on Monday, a low-ranking officer from the 21st Infantry Division in Yanggu County, Gangwon, was discovered dead in his car.

Earlier, a new Army recruit in Inje, Gangwon, was pronounced dead on Saturday after collapsing during a training drill last Thursday.

Additionally, last week, a grenade explosion during an Army exercise of the 32nd Army Division in Sejong resulted in the death of one enlisted soldier and severe injuries to the platoon leader overseeing the training.

These incidents are sparking public outrage over the military's poor management of its personnel's health and safety.

If you or someone you know is feeling emotionally distressed or struggling with thoughts of suicide, LifeLine Korea can be contacted at 1588-9191 or the Crisis Counseling Center at 1577-0199. The Seoul Global Center offers English-language counseling, contact 02-2075-4180 (+1) to arrange a session. Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org.

BY IM SOUNG-BIN, WOO JI-WON [woo.jiwon@joongang.co.kr]