Threatening a Junior Soldier by Putting a Loaded Pistol in His Mouth... Marine Corps' 'Russian Roulette'

It has been revealed after two years that a Marine Corps soldier forced a junior soldier to put a loaded pistol in his mouth and subjected him to abuse in a ‘Russian roulette’ manner. The Marine Corps acknowledged the incident but explained that there was no intention to cover it up.

On the 21st, a post exposing the incident by Mr. A, who enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2020, was uploaded on the Facebook page ‘Delivered on behalf of the Army Training Center’.

[Photo by Yonhap News]

Mr. A, who enlisted in the Marine Corps in Pohang, Gyeongbuk in 2020, revealed the misconduct of senior soldier Mr. B, saying, “This happened in January 2021 while I was on guard duty at the gate of a certain Marine Corps unit.”

He stated, “During guard duty, we were assigned with one revolver (pistol), one rifle, one bayonet, one baton, and one spray. The revolver was loaded with five bullets, including four blanks, a gas cartridge, and a rubber bullet,” and added, “(Senior B) aimed this revolver at me and my senior.”

He continued, “(Senior B) played Russian roulette with the revolver while it was loaded. At first, he aimed and pulled the trigger from a distance of one meter, then gradually got closer, putting the revolver in my mouth to play Russian roulette, and even aimed at my temple and pulled the trigger,” he lamented.

Mr. A exposed, “I worked like that for a week, and on weekends, when the revolver was no longer entertaining, he took out the bayonet and told me to show it, then acted as if to have a sword fight, cutting me and my senior with the bayonet.”

He added, “Meanwhile, there were occasional pranks using the revolver, and eventually, a blank cartridge was fired, causing the perpetrator’s hand to bleed,” and lamented, “Afterwards, I was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and had to take psychotropic drugs to sleep. The repeated testimonies, reenactments, and the surrounding gaze made me mentally exhausted.”

Mr. A said, “The military discharged the perpetrator as a corporal. After that, I was also discharged, and we have been engaged in legal battles ever since.”

After discharge, he recently filed charges against senior soldier Mr. B for ‘special assault by a military personnel on duty’ under the Military Criminal Act, and the case has become public. The Changwon District Prosecutor’s Office indicted Mr. B on charges including insult, threat, and special assault on a sentry, and a sentencing trial is scheduled for the 20th of next month.

Regarding this, the Marine Corps Command stated, “The incident was reported to the military police around April 2021, and a proper investigation was conducted. The perpetrator received the harshest punishment for a corporal rank, a demotion, on charges including special assault by a military personnel on duty, and was referred to the military prosecution. He was discharged in June 2021 and is currently a civilian undergoing legal procedures.”

Earlier, on the 13th, a Marine Corps senior soldier who subjected a naked junior soldier to abuse by making him ‘roll left and right’ in the military shower was found guilty. The court sentenced the senior to six months in prison with a two-year probation and ordered 80 hours of community service.

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