Marine senior sentenced to prison for bullying junior soldier, saying "I was also victimized"

Setting fire to palms and poking nostrils
Forced gaming and sexual humiliation by female superior

A senior Marine who harassed a junior soldier and insulted female superiors without any particular reason, saying "I also suffered from this abusive practice," was sentenced to prison.

On the 11th, Judge Kang Hee-kyung of Criminal Division 4 at Changwon District Court announced that A, a man in his 20s indicted on charges including abuse of power and harsh treatment, was sentenced to 1 year and 6 months in prison with a 3-year probation. A was also ordered to perform 240 hours of community service.

A was prosecuted for repeatedly assaulting a junior soldier by, among other acts, poking an antenna baton into the junior soldier’s nostril last January while serving at a Marine unit in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, citing boredom as the reason. He also poured hand sanitizer on the junior soldier’s palm and set it on fire with a lighter, claiming that the sanitizer would ignite. Additionally, saying it was an abusive practice he himself had endured, he forced the junior soldier to breathe by holding a towel sprayed with the anti-inflammatory painkiller Mentholatum to the junior’s nose.

Changwon District Court

A also added charges of insulting superiors by making sexual remarks about female officers and non-commissioned officers after proposing a so-called "balance game," where the junior soldier had to choose between two options. When reprimanded by another non-commissioned officer, he cursed behind the officer’s back and returned late from leave, claiming he was feeling unwell due to drinking.

The court pointed out, "The defendant’s actions are of poor character considering the nature of the crimes and have not been forgiven by the victims." Regarding sentencing, the court explained, "However, we considered that the defendant has no prior record exceeding a fine."

Meanwhile, last month, a man in his 20s who habitually harassed a junior soldier while serving in the Marines received a suspended prison sentence. On the 30th of last month, the 11th Criminal Division of Daejeon District Court (Presiding Judge Choi Seok-jin) suspended the sentence of 1 year in prison for B (23), who was indicted on charges including special threats against a soldier on duty, abuse of power, and harsh treatment. A suspended sentence means that for minor crimes, the sentencing is postponed for a certain period, and if two years pass from the suspension date, the case is effectively considered null.

B was indicted for repeatedly assaulting a junior soldier who shared the same living quarters at a Marine unit in Pohang, Gyeongbuk, from June to November 2020, tickling the junior soldier, and threatening him with a weapon. The court stated, "The crime of abusing the status and position of a soldier to assault and threaten a junior soldier performing duties with a dangerous object is not light," but also explained the reason for the suspended sentence, saying, "B showed remorse, was only 19 years old at the time of the crime, is a first-time offender, and reached a settlement with the victim."

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