Troops nab soldier accused of killing 5
The south Korean army captured a soldier yesterday who it says killed five comrades then fled into the forest where he holed up with a rifle for two days before shooting himself as pursuers closed in.
The massive manhunt ended when the 22-year-old sergeant, surnamed Yim, shot himself in the upper left chest as his father and brother approached, pleading with him to surrender, a Defence Ministry official said. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of department rules, said Sgt Yim was taken to a hospital but his life wasn’t in danger. He did not elaborate.
Defence Ministry spokesman Kim Minseok said the soldier would be handed to military investigators later. Soldiers retrieved Sgt Yim’s rifle and ammunition at the site.
Troops had been chasing Sgt Yim since authorities said he killed five fellow soldiers and wounded seven Saturday night. He then fled his frontline unit with his standard-issue K2 assault rifle.
He fired on Sunday on the soldiers chasing him, injuring a platoon leader. Yesterday officials said a South Korean soldier was wounded by suspected friendly fire.
Earlier yesterday, troops surrounding Sgt Yim in the forest tossed him a mobile phone so he could talk to his father. They also threw him bread and bottled water. His parents went to the area to try to persuade him to surrender.
It wasn’t clear what triggered the ram page. Sgt Yim was scheduled to complete his nearly two years of mandatory military service in September.
Initial personality tests in April of last year put Sgt Yim a group of soldiers who need special attention and are unfit for frontline duty, according to the Defence Ministry. But tests last November concluded he had improved and could serve in the frontline area, defance officials said. AP