연합뉴스기사
ByKimYeonheeSunJun19,8:57AMET
SEOUL(Reuters)-AbulliedSouthKoreansoldierondutyatthefortifiedDemilitarisedZoneborderwiththeNorththrewagrenadeatsleepingcomradesonSundaythenopenedfireonthem,killingeight,theDefenseMinistrysaid.Theprivate,identifiedbyhissurname"Kim,"fired40shotsfromhisrifleafterthrowingthegrenadeathisguardpostinYonchonattheDMZ,about60km(40miles)northofthecapitalSeoul,aministryspokesmansaid.Kimwasarrestedlater.
ItwasthehighestnumberofdeathssufferedbytheSouthKoreanarmysince2000,Yonhapnewsagencysaid.
TheDMZisoneofthemostsensitivemilitaryregionsintheworld;,atenseborderdividingmorethanonemillionNorthKoreantroopsfromsome650,000SouthKoreantroopsbackedbyU.S.forces.
"PrivateKim,whohadsufferedverbalviolenceand
"Whenhesawtheirfaceshegotangry,"saidChang,referringtotheothersoldiersinthebarracks.
Twosoldierswerewoundedintheincidentbutwerenotinseriouscondition,headded.
SouthKoreantelevisionstationsshoweddistraughtandangryparentsandrelativesscufflingwithsoldiersinbattledressastheytriedtoreachthebase.
Otherrelativesweptandwrithedonthefloorataltarsshowingphotosofthedeadsoldiers,allintheearly20s.Atleastonesoldierhadbeenduetoendhiscompulsorymilitaryservicewithin11days.
Kim,21,joinedthearmyinDecember2004andwasdeployedtoaunitonthestarkfrontierwithNorthKoreainJanuary,accordingtothearmy.Itisoneofthetoughestassignmentsinthemilitary,patrollingtheborderfencethatrunsfromcoasttocoastacrossthedividedKoreanpeninsula.
PresidentRohMoo-hyunexpressedcondolencestothefamiliesofthedeadandDefenseMinisterYoonKwang-ungvowedthearmedforceswouldtakestepstopreventfutureincidents.
ChangsaidtheNorthhadmadenoresponsetotheincident,whichoccurredafterararemeetingonFridaybetweenNorthKoreanleaderKimJong-ilandSouthKoreanUnificationMinisterChungDong-youngintheNorth’scapital,Pyongyang.
NorthandSouthKoreaarestilltechnicallyatwar,despitemovestoimproverelations.The1950-53KoreanWarthatbisectedthepeninsulaendedinatruceratherthanapeacetreaty.