By Jun Ji-hye



Defense Minister Han Min-koo pledged Monday that he would hold the commander of the Army's 28th Division in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province, accountable for the death of a soldier by relieving him of his duties.



"The commander's case will be referred to the disciplinary committee," Han said, criticizing the commander for having failed in his duty to be aware of violence in the barracks.



"We will also take stringent measures to punish the five soldiers who allegedly beat the soldier to death," Han said while making a public apology during a news conference at the Ministry of National Defense.



"The military will give the attackers and their accomplices the harshest punishment possible within the legal limits of the Military Criminal Act," said Han.



Han said he would order military prosecutors to launch an additional investigation to address all the allegations raised so far.



A 23-year-old Army corporal surnamed Yoon died April 7, after about a month of physical, verbal and mental abuse — allegedly including sexual abuse — at the hands of his five colleagues.



When he died, he was a private first class. He was posthumously promoted to corporal on April 10, the Army said.



"I sincerely apologize to Yoon and the bereaved family," Han said.



The news conference came amid fierce criticism from the public for the Army's repeated failure to take action on military violence. Human rights activists have argued that the incident should give rise to murder charges.



"We are conducting a legal review," said Gen. Kim Heung-seok, who is in charge of the Army's judicial affairs, during an appearance before the National Assembly.



The comments came after Rep. Ahn Gyu-baek of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy remarked, "The soldiers who attacked Yoon should be charged with murder, not manslaughter."



All five accused men have been charged with assault, and four have also been charged with manslaughter.



"The military prosecutors plan to postpone the soldiers' final trial, initially scheduled for Tuesday, to buy time to review the case records and see if they can change the charges filed against them," Kim said.



He added that the military prosecution was doing its utmost to determine what punishment the five deserved.



In explaining why the investigators initially filed manslaughter charges, the Army said it was difficult to prove the soldiers' intentions when prosecutors indicted them.



Army Chief of Staff Gen. Kwon Oh-sung said he was willing to take responsibility for the incident. When asked whether he had offered to resign, however, he answered, "No."



The military has also been embroiled in allegations that it had tried to conceal the details of Yoon's death.



The records the ministry submitted to the Assembly showed that the initial report, dated April 6, stated: "Yoon lost consciousness and collapsed while eating."



That night the report was altered to read, "He collapsed as a result of assaults by senior soldiers."



The military prosecution confirmed details of the assault when it indicted the five soldiers on May 2. The abuses included forcing him to eat a tube of toothpaste and assaulting him every night.



However, the military simply told the media, "Yoon collapsed after being beaten by seniors while eating, and then died because food blocked his airway."



It also refused to offer information about the investigation to the bereaved family, although family members had asked officials to reveal what they knew in May while hearings for the five soldiers were underway.



All details were revealed July 31 during a conference at the Center for Military Human Rights Korea.



Rep. Kim Moo-sung, chairman of the ruling Saenuri Party, said, "The investigation should also focus on uncovering whether the military tried to cover up the severity of the incident."



