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Han Min-koo, the South Korean defense minister |
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SOUTH KOREA: SOLDIER GETS DEATH PENALTY FOR DEADLY SHOOTING SPREE
February 3, 2015: a South Korean military court sentenced an Army deserter to death for killing and wounding about a dozen unarmed comrades in a shooting rampage at a guard post close to the border with North Korea.
The court handed down the death penalty to the 23-year-old Army sergeant, surnamed Lim, for killing five and wounding seven others by detonating a grenade and firing at his comrades at the border outpost on the east coast in June 2014.
He was also found guilty of running away from his unit with a rifle and a stash of ammunition. Two days later, he was captured while being under siege by thousands of troops right after a botched suicide attempt.
Military prosecutors in January demanded the capital punishment for him on charges of murder and desertion, arguing that he committed a "cruel and premeditated attack" on unarmed comrades. South Korea's military law stipulates that a soldier faces capital punishment for killing a superior officer. One of the fallen soldiers was a staff sergeant in Lim's unit. (Sources: Yonhap, 03/02/2015)
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