Soldiers from the 35th Infantry Division take part in a rope crossing exercise during guerrilla training at a training site in Imsil County, North Jeolla on July 3. [NEWS1]
IMSIL, North Jeolla -- An Army sergeant who died two months before discharge had endured bullying and ostracism in his unit, but the Army withheld details of the abuse from his family.
The 21-year-old, who served in a unit based in Imsil County, North Jeolla, was found dead around 5 a.m. on Aug. 18 at an apartment complex in Jinan County, North Jeolla, about 27 kilometers (16 miles) from his base.
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He had no known ties to the area. Police initially treated the case as a suicide and referred it to the Army Investigation Group, which is now investigating the connection between the death and alleged mistreatment within the unit.
He had left his base without permission shortly before his death, despite being scheduled for discharge in December.
Investigators said the sergeant sent a message to his parents before he died, writing, "I'm sorry I couldn't adapt to the military." A review of his phone revealed group chat messages with friends describing repeated harassment, including being ordered to run errands and being targeted by officers and fellow soldiers.
The messages suggested that the sergeant had been deliberately excluded by other members of his unit, a form of group ostracism in which soldiers collectively ignore or isolate a targeted individual. Current and former soldiers told investigators that "everyone treated him like he was invisible" and that "everyone in the unit was aware he had been ostracized."
His bunk placement also raised concerns. Though he was a senior soldier, his bed was placed directly next to the barracks entrance -- an uncommon location, as senior soldiers are typically assigned to the inner side. When his family visited to collect his belongings, they found holes in his mattress and bags belonging to other, already discharged soldiers scattered around the area.
Soldiers from the 35th Infantry Division take part in a rope crossing exercise during guerrilla training at a training site in Imsil County, North Jeolla on July 3. [NEWS1]
"The state of his sleeping area shows how poorly he was treated," a family member said during a phone interview with the JoongAng Ilbo. "We can't understand how his superiors allowed this to happen."
The unit claimed soldiers were allowed to choose their bed placements freely during a recent move.
On the day of the incident, a senior officer called the sergeant's father and said, "It seems your son took his own life because he was struggling personally." Other officers told the family, "There were no conflicts or issues during his time in the unit."
But during a Sept. 25 briefing, Army investigators disclosed that the sergeant had experienced abuse on three separate occasions -- from the time he was a private through February this year. In response, the unit had either transferred or isolated those responsible, but it did not notify the family.
Despite the findings, the unit has largely remained silent. During a recent meeting with the family, a soldier from the unit said, "We only remember good times with him."
The family has since filed a criminal complaint with North Jeolla police against a noncommissioned member of the unit, accusing the individual of abuse of authority and intimidation.
Multinational allied forces engage in combat exercises during a scientific combat competition in Inje, Gangwon on Sept. 25. [YONHAP]
The complaint claims the noncommissioned officer harshly scolded the sergeant the day before his death and told him he would face disciplinary action the following day, which the family believes pushed him over the edge.
The sergeant's body remains at the Armed Forces Capital Hospital in Seongnam, Gyeonggi. The family has postponed the funeral while awaiting autopsy results.
"Our son had his whole life ahead of him and died just before discharge," a family member said. "This was not just a suicide but a form of social killing that happened inside the military. The Army must hold accountable not only those who bullied him, but also those who allowed it."
An Army official declined to comment "because it is an ongoing investigation."
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM JUN-HEE [[email protected]]
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