ROK Soldier's Death at DMZ Guard Post

The tragic death last week of a South Korean soldier assigned to a guard post in the demilitarized zone in Yanggu, Kangwando, South Korea has sparked controversy and internet rumors in South Korea. A Liberty Party Korea (conservative opposition party) national assembly member, Bek Sung Ju, claimed that the military agreement signed by the two Korean states in September and put into effect November 1, contributed to the service member's death from a gun shot wound. Purportedly, a delay was caused by restrictions on the flight of military aircraft in the forty km zone around the DMZ in this part of Korea. It is claimed by conservatives that prior approval from North Korea was required before the medical evacuation helicopter could enter the zone to evacuate the severely wounded service member.

The Korean Defense Ministry flatly rejected the claim, and reported that the procedures for emergency medical evacuations from the DMZ have not changed from those in effect previously and were unaffected by the terms of the military agreement.

(Source- Channel A News Top Ten 11.21) Defense Ministry- South North, Evac helo entry first, notice later. (critics) 9.19 Military Agreement suspected cause of Army evac helo failed dispatch. Defense Ministry- we regret to say entirely untrue. Ex post facto phone report notifications to North Korea agreed. Emergency evac support requests and consent procedures are minimized. In this incident, preexisting evac helo mobilization procedures were used.

The consensus on the Top Ten program, was that the military agreement had no role in delay of the flight and that given standard procedures for medical evacuations, and the absence of landing facilities in the DMZ, timeliness was going to be an issue in evacuation in any case. Reference was made to the "golden rule" of one hour in traumatic gun shot cases. The shooting occurred at 5:03 pm. Request for evac was received at 5:19. The aircraft was ready for takeoff at 5:39. The soldier expired at 5:38.

(Source- Channel A News Top Ten 11.21) GP firearm accident, Emergency helo late lift off reason. Gunshot wound 5:03pm, Request for evac helo: 5:19; moved to transport vehicle for evac 5:24; death during transport 5:38; helo ready for take off 5:39; 20 minutes at least for helo ready for take off, Army manual provides for take off readiness within 20 minutes in daytime, 30 minutes at night.

Rumors that the soldier had been killed by a sniper were not indicated by the circumstantial evidence at the scene. The walls of the guard post were three meters high to block sniper fire. The CCTV showed the soldier in the bathroom area moments before the fatal wound from the gun shot. Video of the scene after the gunshot showed the expended empty shell case from the soldier's own weapon. The soldiers hand phone showed he had been viewing internet sites about suicide before he died.