S. Korean soldier gets death sentence

SEOUL, South Korea – A South Korean soldier was sentenced to death Tuesday for killing five comrades and injuring seven others in a shooting and grenade attack last year, the Defense Ministry said.

Shooting rampages by bullied soldiers are not unusual in South Korea, which requires all able-bodied men to serve about two years in the military in the face of threats from North Korea.

The soldier, surnamed Yim, has told investigators that he threw a grenade and opened fire on his colleagues in June after seeing drawings they made of him that he considered insulting. Yim had fled into the forest near the border with North Korea but was captured following a failed suicide attempt.

Yim, who has been identified only by his surname, was sentenced to death in a military court in the eastern Gangwon province, a Defense Ministry official in Seoul said on condition of anonymity citing department rules. He said Yim can appeal.

South Korea has not executed anyone since December 1997, although death sentences are still occasionally issued by courts.