A Marine Corps sergeant died of a gunshot wound while returning from Daecheong Island in Ongjin County, Incheon. The military authorities launched a joint investigation to determine the exact circumstances.
According to the Marine Corps Headquarters, at about 7:42 a.m. on the 13th, Sergeant A, a transportation medic in his 20s with the Marine Corps 6th Brigade, suffered a severe head injury when a firearm discharged as he was getting into a vehicle after completing a maritime search mission. Found in cardiac arrest with bleeding from the forehead area, Sergeant A received cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and was transported for emergency treatment but was pronounced dead at 9:01 a.m.
The accident was initially reported to have occurred when a personal firearm mounted on the driver's seat rack discharged as the vehicle door was being closed, but investigators are not ruling out the possibility that the deceased pulled the trigger. Whether the round was a blank or live ammunition is also under investigation.
At first, due to deteriorating weather, the military considered an emergency evacuation by Coast Guard vessel because helicopter deployment was difficult, but the sergeant died at the scene without regaining consciousness. A Marine Corps official said, "The military police and Incheon police have launched a joint investigation," and noted that they will also check whether firearm management regulations were followed.
Recently, the military has seen a series of firearm-related and death incidents. On the 23rd of last month, a staff sergeant took his own life at an Army forward observation post, and on the 2nd of this month, a captain at the Korea Army Academy at Yeongcheon (KAAY) died with a rifle. Also on the 8th, a staff sergeant at an Army unit in Goyang, Gyeonggi, made an extreme choice after leaving a note mentioning bullying within the unit.