Former Battalion Commander Chaesangbyeong Files Complaint with Human Rights Commission... "Discrimination and Isolation within the Marine Corps"

Former Battalion Commander Wept in Front of Chaesangbyeong's Grave
Psychiatric Treatment... "Headquarters Isolating and Abusing Me"

Last year, Lieutenant Colonel A, who was the commander of the 7th Artillery Battalion of the 1st Marine Division to which Corporal Cha belonged and who died in the line of duty while searching for flood victims, filed a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission on the 13th regarding bullying and discrimination within the Marine Corps.

Regarding the case of Chaesangbyeong, who died in the flood disaster in Yecheon County last year, the commander of the 7th Artillery Battalion of the 1st Marine Division and lawyer Kim Kyungho appeared at the Criminal Mobile Unit of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Police Agency on the morning of the 22nd of last month to undergo police investigation. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Lieutenant Colonel A's side claimed that after the fatal accident, Marine Corps Commander Kim Gye-hwan and former 1st Division Commander Lim Seong-geun isolated Lieutenant Colonel A by dispatching him to another unit to cut off contact with the 7th Artillery Battalion members and preventing him from attending official Marine Corps meetings, and applied for emergency relief measures.

Lieutenant Colonel A revealed on the 29th of last month that he was receiving psychiatric treatment after being unable to endure isolation within the Marine Corps. In his statement at the time, he said, “I couldn’t even visit Corporal Cha’s funeral home and was separated from the unit for five months, just commuting without doing anything,” and “I was isolated without any contact with the unit members.”

He also appealed, “I endured by receiving psychiatric treatment with a desire to die. I was ostracized within the organization, being excluded from commander-level training and leadership education for battalion commanders,” and “I cannot visit my family due to the ongoing investigation, and I am mentally distressed after being dismissed from my post.”

Regarding this, former Division Commander Lim stated, “The unit to which Lieutenant Colonel A was dispatched is directly under the command headquarters, so the division commander cannot send him just because he wants to,” distancing himself from Lieutenant Colonel A’s dispatch.

Lieutenant Colonel A was dismissed from his battalion commander position in December last year after Corporal Cha’s death and is currently under investigation by the Gyeongbuk Police Agency on charges of negligence resulting in death.

He claims that former Division Commander Lim forced underwater searches during last year’s heavy rain disaster recovery, conflicting with Lim, who denies having ordered the underwater searches.

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