Yoon Orders Military to Do Their Best in Safe Search Following Marine Corps Member's Death News

Received Real-Time Reports of Missing and Deceased During Search for Missing Person in Yecheon-gun
Ordered On-Site Safety Rule Inspection... Marine Corps "Military Investigation Agency Inquiry"

President Yoon Suk-yeol on the 20th urged the military involved in the search for missing persons due to heavy rain and landslides to prioritize safety. This directive came after a marine who was swept away by a rapid current during a search operation in Seokgwancheon, Homyeong-myeon, Yecheon-gun, Gyeongbuk Province, was found dead 14 hours after going missing.

According to the Blue House, President Yoon received real-time reports of both the disappearance and death of the marine during the search in the Seokgwancheon area and told the military, "Finding the missing persons is important, but please do your best to ensure safety during the search process."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, around 9 a.m. on the 19th, three soldiers, including Private A from the 1st Division Artillery Battalion of the Marine Corps, were swept away by a rapid current while searching with probing rods in the lower reaches of Seokgwancheon. They were conducting the search alongside about 20 fellow soldiers, but some ground collapsed, causing them to fall into the water. Among them, only Private A did not come out. The military and fire authorities deployed equipment such as helicopters and inflatable boats (IBS) to search for Private A, who was found in a state of cardiac arrest about 400 meters downstream from Gopyeong Bridge in Wolpo-ri, Homyeong-myeon late at night.

However, unlike the soldiers who searched on IBS during the missing persons search mission, it has been reported that soldiers assigned to search along the riverbank, like Private A, were not wearing safety equipment, sparking controversy. The Marine Corps stated, "The military investigative agency plans to investigate the cause of the accident," but public outrage continues to grow.

It has also been confirmed that President Yoon gave instructions to review such safety protocols. A Blue House official said, "Although the military is investigating the cause of the accident, there will also be an inspection to ensure that safety rules are properly followed on site," adding, "The Blue House is preparing separate condolence measures to comfort the bereaved families."

Earlier, right after returning from his European tour last week, President Yoon has been visiting disaster recovery sites to assess the situation. Following his visit to the landslide site in Yecheon, Gyeongbuk on the 17th, he visited livestock farms and agricultural households damaged by heavy rain in Chungnam on the 18th. At a livestock farm damaged by the heavy rain, President Yoon comforted an owner in tears, saying, "Do not worry. We will provide sufficient budget support to help you return to normal life," and encouraged the military personnel, saying, "It smells bad, but our soldiers are working hard." To residents requesting help on site, he said, "Our government maintains fiscal austerity to save money for times like this," and added, "The government should naturally assist residents affected by disasters in their recovery efforts."

The day before, 13 local governments nationwide affected by the heavy rain were first declared special disaster zones. This special disaster zone declaration came three days after the government formed an emergency investigation team to start damage assessment and two days after President Yoon returned and urged prompt damage assessment and follow-up measures. Normally, the declaration of a special disaster zone takes about two weeks, as it involves damage assessment by local governments, review by the Central Safety Management Committee (chaired by the Prime Minister), recommendation by the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Chief (Minister of the Interior and Safety), and then the President's proclamation. However, this process was unusually expedited. The Blue House explained that this swift decision resulted from President Yoon’s continuous attention to the situation, issuing response instructions related to the heavy rain during his Eastern European tour and ordering follow-up measures for the special disaster zone declaration at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting and Cabinet meeting after his return.

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