Allegations of Army Division Commander Abusing Power: From Collecting Wild Greens to Assault

Allegations have emerged that a division commander in the army issued unreasonable orders and abused subordinates in a ground infantry unit located in the metropolitan area.

On the 21st, the Military Human Rights Center held a press conference at its office in Mapo-gu, Seoul, to reveal these facts. According to the Military Human Rights Center, army division A directed staff in the secretariat to collect wild greens from within the unit during physical training time in mid-April.

During this process, it is reported that the division commander ordered a substantial amount of greens to be collected, to the extent that the military equipment bag could not be closed, and then instructed staff to pack it in paper bags.

The unreasonable orders from Division A did not stop there. The Military Human Rights Center stated that the division commander directed a staff member to set up a chicken coop behind the official residence and indicated that there were instances of using official vehicles for personal church attendance.

Even more seriously, there were allegations that he coerced officers of other religions to attend church.

Allegations of assault have also surfaced. According to the Military Human Rights Center, it is alleged that during a sports event in early April, after a participant was injured, the division commander called a staff member urgently to substitute a player and kicked his thigh.

Concerns regarding budget misuse were raised as well. The Military Human Rights Center claimed that Division A spent 800,000 won of the 1.82 million won official residence budget on Pilates equipment. Originally, this budget was meant for purchasing a sofa for four people.

Im Tae-hoon, the director of the Military Human Rights Center, criticized, "Victims reported internally through the Ministry of National Defense's anonymous reporting system, but their reports were ignored, essentially covering up the misconduct."

He added, "After the Ministry of National Defense disregarded the reports, the victims were isolated, and there are claims that Division A abused their authority regarding personnel matters against the whistleblowers."

Currently, the army has reportedly separated Division A from duty (exclusion from assignment) and has begun on-site investigations.

Image source: Reference images for understanding the article / gettyimagesbank, Im Tae-hoon, Director of the Military Human Rights Center / News1