Police Refer 8th Division Commander and 3 Others to Prosecution Over Soldier's Marathon Heatstroke Death

Police have referred the commander of the Army's 8th Division and three other military personnel to the prosecution without detention regarding the death of Private Ji Su-hyeok, who succumbed to heatstroke during a marathon hosted by the division on September 5 last year. On the 20th, police forwarded the four individuals to the prosecution on charges of forcing Pvt. Ji, who was exhibiting symptoms of heatstroke, to continue training. While military investigators had only referred two field-grade officers to the police, the police expanded the scope to hold four commanders, including the division commander, accountable.

The 8th Army Division held a 9km marathon to commemorate the Battle of Yeongcheon. On the day of the event, with temperatures reaching a high of 31 degrees Celsius and 70% humidity, Pvt. Ji collapsed around the 8km mark. He was transported to a hospital but died of heatstroke. Pvt. Ji, a cook in his fourth month of service, had lacked opportunities for physical training. Having finished preparing breakfast, he was grouped with senior soldiers and non-commissioned officers who had different fitness levels.

Police investigations revealed that the unit failed to conduct a risk assessment as required by military regulations. Furthermore, Pvt. Ji was transported to the hospital via a military vehicle rather than a 119 ambulance, as the military doctor was off-duty at the time.

The outcome of this police investigation has led to criticisms that the overall safety management system within the military needs to be reexamined. The challenge ahead is establishing effective measures to ensure compliance with safety regulations during military training.