South Korean soldier gets death penalty for killing 5 comrades in shooting spree last year

Published May 21, 2015

A South Korean military court has issued a death penalty on a soldier who killed five comrades in a shooting spree last year.

Shooting rampages by bullied soldiers are not unusual in South Korea, which requires all able-bodied men to serve about two years in the military in the face of threats from North Korea.

The soldier, surnamed Yim, has told investigators that he opened fire on his colleagues in June after seeing drawings they made of him that he considered insulting.

The Defense Ministry says Yim, who has been identified only by his surname, was sentenced to death Tuesday in a military court in the eastern Gangwon province.

South Korea has not executed anyone since December 1997 but death sentences are still occasionally issued by courts.

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