People Reaching Out to the Army Sergeant Injured in a Landmine Accident

Sanghyeop Lee, Defense Expert of the Democratic Party, Raises 100 Million Won from Defense Companies
Sergeant Park: "I Hope More Systems Are Created for Soldiers Serving in Dangerous Areas"

Sergeant Park Woo-geun undergoing rehabilitation treatment after left leg amputation surgery at the Armed Forces Capital Hospital

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] "Every night, that nightmare comes back and I just cry."

On November 21 last year, Sergeant Park Woo-geun of the 17th Division, who was searching the Janghang Wetland located in Gochon-eup, Gimpo-si, Gyeonggi-do, cannot forget that day. Sergeant Park set out on a reconnaissance mission with three soldiers as soon as the sun rose on that Sunday morning. The morning temperature was cold that day.

Before starting the reconnaissance mission, Sergeant Park warned his comrades, "Civilians recently removed reeds in this area, but be prepared for any possible danger."

About 10 minutes after advancing with his rifle on his back, a deafening explosion blasted, and Sergeant Park was thrown into the air. He fainted for a moment and when he opened his eyes, he was lying on the cold ground. He could hear nothing. But when he saw his left ankle had been blown off in front of him, he thought, "I stepped on a landmine." He did not want to believe it, but the pain gradually began to surge. Thirty minutes later, firefighters rushed to the scene. It was a nightmare. According to the military authorities' investigation at the time, the exploded landmine was confirmed to be a wooden box anti-personnel mine called the North Korean "Mokham Ban Infantry Mine" (PMD-57).

Sergeant Park met with Sanghyeop Lee, the Democratic Party of Korea's defense expert, on the 28th.

Sergeant Park is currently undergoing rehabilitation treatment after having his left leg amputated at the Armed Forces Capital Hospital located in Seongnam-si. Contrary to the medical staff's initial explanation that he would be discharged in six months, the treatment period is getting longer, making his days difficult. The skin around the surgical site is dying, so he cannot do much rehabilitation exercise while wearing a prosthetic leg.

Sergeant Park said, "Even now, I have to take a lot of medicine before going to bed to fall asleep," and "The situation at that time does not leave my mind." More difficult than his post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is missing his eldest son, who entered elementary school this year, and his 14-month-old second son. Due to COVID-19, he has not been able to see their faces and worries about how to explain his situation. His wife advised him not to continue his military service. However, as the head of the family, he could not ignore economic issues.

In the midst of his worries, Lee Sang-hyeop, the Democratic Party's defense specialist, extended a helping hand. Knowing that the current military system could not provide much compensation, Lee searched around tirelessly. The military also stepped up. Fellow soldiers in the unit pooled money and gave Sergeant Park 40 million won. LIG Nex1 and Hanwha Systems, which Lee personally contacted, also donated 100 million won to Sergeant Park.

Sergeant Park was grateful. He gained the courage to tell his wife, "I want to finish my military service well." Earlier this year, Sergeant Park called Lee and proposed a meeting. He wanted to see him in person and express his gratitude. The meeting took place on the 28th.

Lee, on the contrary, repeatedly expressed his gratitude, saying, "Thank you for your dedication to the country." He also said, "The state must take full responsibility for accidents that occur during missions," and "I will continue to request support from the civilian sector."

Sergeant Park said, "I hope many systems will be created for soldiers working in dangerous areas," and "I am just thankful to the unit members who have cared for me all this time."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.