January 9, 2012
SEOUL (AFP) - A South Korean court said Monday it has ordered the state to compensate the family of a conscript soldier who committed suicide after suffering maltreatment from other service members.
The Seoul Central District Court ordered the payment of 60 million won ($51,700) to the family of the private first class identified only as Lee.
Lee killed himself last November. His family filed a lawsuit, blaming the tragedy mainly on the verbal harassment he suffered in barracks.
The court judgment, quoted by Yonhap news agency, said senior soldiers cursed and verbally abused Lee, in treatment "that went beyond the scope of common discipline and training".
It said the abuse put massive stress on the introverted youth and senior military officials did not make proper efforts to prevent the suicide.
But the court assigned only a 20 percent responsibility for Lee's death to the state, saying the maltreatment he received was not extreme and he had not actively tried to solve his own problems.
Most able-bodied men in South Korea must serve in the military for about two years. The country has remained technically at war with North Korea since their 1950-53 conflict ended only with an armistice and not a peace treaty.
