The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) recommended the Minister of Defense and the Minister of Strategy and Finance to provide policy alternatives and funding for further prevention of human rights abuses in the Republicof Korea Marine Corps. It concluded after investigation that customary beatings and cruelties, and harsh discipline culture of the Marine Corps were founded to be dominant causes of the shooting incident on April 7, 2011.
The NHRCK conducted a preliminary investigation on the shooting incident by a marine corporal which killed four marines and wounded a fifth on the day of incident. Then, it initiated suo moto investigation on the incident in accordance with Article 30(3) of the National Human Rights Commission Act, suspecting that the incident could be connected with severe human rights violations such as poor management of marines and abusive acts.
The NHRCK interviewed the corporal, his fellows and superiors and inspected relevant reports and documents. The investigation result revealed that physical and verbal abuses were widespread under the name of Marine Corps tradition, and bullying and neglecting management of corporals in barracks has significantly contributed to human rights abuses.
The NHRCK recommended that the Defense Minister would command the General of Marine Corps to hold responsible those who conducted severe beatings and cruelties and their superiors. The NHRCK also made both legislative and institutional recommendations to cultivate a culture of respecting human rights in the Military. Those include establishing the code of conduct for the armed forces; strengthening respect for human rights in the military; setting up an external experts committee and a department within Marine Corps for the promotion and protection of human rights; conducting a comprehensive human rights education and training, and managing a system effectively for soldiers requiring special attention.
In addition, the NHRCK presented a recommendation that the Minister of Strategy and Finance would allocate necessary budget to the Ministry of Defense for the deployment of human rights specialists and the establishment of comprehensive protection system.
