Navy admits liability in sailor suicide

SEOUL, Dec. 22 (Yonhap) -- The Navy partially admitted responsibility in the
suicide of a seaman who suffered harassment during military service, deciding to
pay 36 million won (US$28,000) in reparation more than two decades after his
death, the civil rights commission said Monday.

The state was held 20 percent responsible for the 1982 death of the sailor
surnamed Lee, who took his own life after being bullied by his seniors, the
Anti-corruption and Civil Rights Commission said in a press release.
Lee's father, 78, filed for damages against the state earlier this year, claiming
the navy commanders should be held accountable for neglecting the harsh
circumstances his son was faced with.
"The physical and mental pain caused by brutal behavior within the Navy can be
seen as one of the main causes that drove Lee to suicide," the Navy Compensation
Council said. "The commanders neglected their responsibility to supervise such
acts."
Several of Lee's colleagues had testified that the late sailor had often been
harassed verbally and physically by his seniors for being slow and disobedient,
the rights commission said.
Sexual and physical harassment in the military is seen as a growing problem in
South Korea where all fit male adults are subject to a two-year compulsory
military service.
A growing number of suicides have taken place in the recent years in the Army.
Five soldiers were hurt after an Army private last month set off a grenade inside
his unit, angered by bullying by seniors.
hayney@yna.co.kr
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