A South Korean army officer has been suspended for two months after repeatedly leaving his military base without permission, verbally abusing soldiers and delaying hundreds of their leave requests.
According to Korean media, the officer drove out of the base in his private vehicle 64 times during weekday working hours over a 10-month period without applying for leave or informing his commander.
A guard commander testified that the officer frequently gave excuses for leaving, including needing to feed his pet lizard or wash his car, The Korea Herald reported.
The officer was also found to have delayed 698 requests for outings, overnight passes and leave submitted by 26 soldiers between October 2023 and November 2024.
As a result, some soldiers were unable to obtain military-supported train tickets and had to pay for their own transportation.
He also verbally abused soldiers who approached him for leave approval.
In one instance, he told soldiers to get lost after they questioned whether the military base was a community service centre.
The officer subsequently filed a lawsuit against his unit commander, seeking to overturn the two-month suspension.
However, the Busan District Court dismissed his lawsuit and upheld the disciplinary action.
The court noted that the severity of his misconduct could have warranted dismissal from military service under disciplinary regulations. His repeated violations could also have justified expulsion, which would result in the loss of retirement benefits.
Despite the potential for harsher punishment, the officer’s two-month suspension remained in place.
