Army Rules Two Warrant Officers Killed in Gapyeong Helicopter Crash Died in the Line of Duty

On the 9th, an Army Cobra helicopter crashed in Hyeon-ri, Jojong-myeon, Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do. Yonhap News

The deaths in the line of duty of two warrant officers from an Army aviation unit, who were killed in a helicopter crash during training in the Gapyeong area, have been officially recognized.

On the morning of the 10th, the Army convened a preliminary session of the Ordinary Line-of-Duty Casualty Review Committee, which determines whether active-duty soldiers died in the line of duty, and announced that it had recognized the deaths of Warrant Officer Jeong Sanggeun and Warrant Officer Jang Heeseong as line-of-duty deaths.

An Army official said, "We will honor the noble dedication of our comrades who died in the line of duty," adding, "We express our deepest condolences to the bereaved families and will do our utmost to provide all necessary honors and support."

The funeral will be held as an Army funeral presided over by the Army Chief of Staff, and the memorial service is scheduled to take place at 8:30 a.m. on the 12th at the funeral hall of the Armed Forces Capital Hospital.

Previously, at around 9:45 a.m. on the previous day, an Army Cobra helicopter (AH-1S) that was conducting emergency procedure training in Hyeon-ri, Jojong-myeon, Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do, crashed at around 11:04 a.m. Emergency procedure training is designed to practice how to respond to emergencies by assuming unexpected situations such as engine failure during flight and reducing engine power.

In this accident, the pilot in command in his 50s, Warrant Officer Jeong, and the co-pilot in his 30s, Warrant Officer Jang, who were on board the helicopter, were killed. Following the accident, the Army has suspended all operations of the AH-1S, the same model as the crashed helicopter.

The Army has formed a 32-member Central Accident Investigation Committee, chaired by Acting Aviation Commander Park Minsang, and is continuing its investigation of the accident site and surrounding area.

President Lee Jaemyung wrote on X (formerly Twitter) the same day, "I bow my head in tribute to the noble sacrifice of the late Warrant Officer Jeong Sanggeun and Warrant Officer Jang Heeseong, who lost their lives while carrying out training missions in the midst of bitterly cold weather conditions. I extend my deepest condolences and pray for their eternal rest."

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