"Military Cremates Remains of Soldiers Who Died on Cheonggyesan 40 Years Ago Without Recovery"

Military Death Investigation Committee "One Left for Bereaved Families"... 43 Cases of Bereaved Families' Petitions Investigated

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] It has been revealed that the remains of soldiers who died when a training aircraft crashed into Cheonggyesan Mountain during airborne training 40 years ago were cremated without being properly recovered or notified to their families.

The Presidential Commission on Military Death Incident Investigation (hereinafter referred to as the Commission) held its 58th regular meeting and announced on the 20th that it had closed 53 cases, including deciding to investigate 43 petition cases.

Among the 43 cases decided for investigation by the Commission on that day was a petition from the bereaved families of the victims of the 1982 Cheonggyesan training aircraft crash. The Cheonggyesan training aircraft crash occurred on June 1, 1982, when an Air Force C-123 transport aircraft carrying 250 trainees of the Basic Airborne Training Course 250 lost its way in fog and crashed into Cheonggyesan Mountain, killing all 53 people on board.

According to the Commission's investigation, the military only announced the accident situation at the time and did not provide sufficient explanations about the detailed causes of the accident that would satisfy the bereaved families. In particular, it was found that the military did not fully recover the remains of the deceased, which were mixed with those of several other fallen soldiers.

The Commission stated, "(The military) violated procedures by cremating the remains without notifying the families within less than a day after the deaths, leaving a grievance with the bereaved families," and explained, "Three of the victims' families at the time filed petitions for investigation, and the Commission conducted an investigation to uncover the truth about the accident handling process."

A fact-finding decision was also made regarding Mr. A, who died while performing a highly dangerous duty. Military investigation records stated that the deceased, who participated in a joint public training exercise, died in 1985 after stepping on an unexploded grenade launcher round while carrying out an operation.

However, the Commission's investigation revealed that the actual cause of death was a mortar misfire due to a range measurement error. The military investigative agency did not properly investigate the incident at the time and concluded the case as an unexploded ordnance accident, closing the case. As a result, although Mr. A died while performing a highly dangerous duty, the military treated it as a death during general training or official duty.

The truth about Mr. B, who was forcibly taken by the Chinese Communist Army, incorporated into partisans, and later defected but died in prison, was also revealed. Mr. B, conscripted during the Korean War, was captured by the Chinese Communist Army during combat, incorporated into North Korean partisans, escaped, and surrendered to the South Korean military.

He was tried by a military court for partisan activities he was forced to perform during captivity, sentenced to imprisonment, and died in custody in 1952.

The Commission concluded from the investigation that Mr. B did not voluntarily surrender to the enemy, did not collaborate with the enemy in partisan activities, did not intentionally harm the South Korean military, and since he escaped captivity and defected, he should be recognized as a "returning prisoner of war."

Chairman Song Ki-chun said, "With the encouragement of the public and the efforts of investigators this year, we closed a total of 483 cases, including ex officio investigations, and were able to investigate the truth in 367 of them," adding, "Next year, we will accelerate efforts to uncover the truth of the remaining cases and prepare institutional improvement plans to enhance military human rights."

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