Abusive treatment most common among Marines: lawmaker

 Bullying, violence and abuse occur most frequently among the Marines than in any other military branch, a lawmaker said Monday.

The number of Marines punished for military law violations in the past five years is more than twice that of the Army, Navy and Air Force, said Rep. Kim Joong-ro of the People’s Party, citing data from the Defense Ministry.

A total of 69 Marines were convicted and punished by the military court, compared to 28 in the Army, 27 in the Navy and 24 in the Air Force. 

Sixty-eight of the 69 Marines were accused of physical abuse and harsh treatment, a much higher number than those of other military branches. The number of convicted facing such charges in the Army, Navy and Air Force was nine, 17 and six, respectively.

“The statistics suggest that the Marines are still so tolerable toward abusive practices, such as physical punishment and harsh treatment. The Defense Ministry should take the lead to eradicate such practices,” Rep. Kim said in a statement.

The Marines have been under criticism for being too complacent toward physical and verbal abuse at barracks among its enlisted soldiers. In 2011, a Marine corporal went on a shooting rampage at a barrack of the Marine Second Division on Ganghwa Island off the west coast, killing four soldiers. During an investigation, he said he had been bullied.

By Yeo Jun-suk (jasonyeo@heraldcorp.com)