A private who killed eight of his fellow soldiers in a bloody Sunday-morning rampage at a front-line guard post in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province apparently planned the killing spree two days earlier, investigators said Monday. Meanwhile, it has emerged that the attack caused panic among the platoon and the division it was a part of, who were unsure whether it was an act of North Korean aggression.
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The Defense Ministry¡¯s personnel chief Park Cheol-su enters the ministry's press room after announcing the results of an investigation into Sunday morning's killing spree in Yeoncheon that left eight soldiers dead and wounded two.
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Brig. Gen. Park Cheol-su, of the Army's investigation team said 22-year-old private Kim Dong-min had suffered no beatings or other physical abuse but endured frequent insults and obscenities from a senior fellow soldier, so he decided to kill his tormentor. An investigator said Kim told comrades on several occasions that he wanted to "turn the platoon on its head" and kill all of them with grenades and guns. He said the other soldiers thought Kim was joking and did not report the comments.
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The family of Cpl. Kim In-chang, who died in Sunday morning's killing spree at an Army guard post in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province, weep at an Army hospital in Seongnam, where Kim's body lay in state on Monday./Yonhap
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In the course of the investigation, the Army also found other lapses in discipline at the post, including a failure by the commander to ensure proper distribution and return of ammunition. It said senior officers would be severely punished. The Army is also considering posthumous promotions for the eight soldiers who were killed. It has replaced personnel manning the guard post ahead of schedule as well.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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