Man threatened to kill himself for conscription exemption

A 29-year-old man was charged without detention for allegedly threatening to commit suicide at the military recruitment agency, after his request for an exemption from military service was denied by officials, the police said on Thursday. 

According to the Suwon Jungbu Police Agency, a man identified by his surname Park visited Incheon Gyeonggi Regional Military Manpower Administration in Suwon for a consultation on his compulsory military duty on Tuesday. He demanded the exemption, saying that he needed to support his single mother who was left alone after his father’s death 27 years ago.

As the officials at the agency told him the exemption was impossible without submitting the required documents, Park ran amuck with a knife wrapped in a newspaper and lighter fluid on his hands, threatening to kill himself for about 20 minutes.  

“There is no one who can take care of my mother if I go to the army,” Park -- who previously delayed public service work four times -- said during the police investigation.

The police requested for summary judgment to the court.

All able-bodied South Korean men serve nearly two years in the armed force as the country is technically still at war with North Korea.

By Im Woo-jung, Intern reporter
(iwj@heraldcorp.com)