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Soldiers dead in lynx chopper crashes and bereaved families

Soldiers dead in lynx chopper crashes and bereaved families

Posted October. 08, 2016 07:59,   

Updated October. 08, 2016 08:33

한국어

The Navy held a funeral service on last Saturday for the three sailors who were killed in Lynx helicopter crash into the sea off the nation’s east coast during a South Korea-U.S. joint exercise on Sept. 26. The names of the three aviators were Lt. Com. Kim Kyung-min (pilot), Lt. Com. Park U-shin (co-pilot), Senior Chief Petty Officer Hwang Seong-cheol (flight operator). The former Rear Adm. Kim Hyeok-soo, posted his condolence message on the social media and it said, “No one cried out loud or protested. Although a civil rights organization Center for Military Human Rights Korea (MHRK) suggested refusing to hold the funeral until to find out the cause of death, the family members refused the proposal.” Father of Lt. Com. Kim thanked the navy to find his son into the deep sea lies beneath 1,000 meters and not burying him there. Their action of silently confronting shocks of losing their loved ones is deeply moving.

It has been said that the families of the deceased would donate some of the compensation money of the government, which is about 320 million won per person, to the See Love Scholarship Foundation for children of naval soldiers who died in operation. It is quite contrary to the actions of some bereaved families of controversial and deadly accidents and civic groups who are making excessive demands.

Although they say nothing about the investigation, the cause of their death should be found and thoroughly studied. “I was angry when seeing the chief commander of navy aegis destroyer Seoae, Ryu Seong-ryong, who employed the helicopter. But they are innocent," Kim's father said. "After hearing that there were some problems in bolts of the chopper from the news, I thought that it could be an incident.” Recently, there was an argument that some parts including the bolts of Lynx helicopter with forged certificates were delivered to the military during the National Assembly inspections. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) explained that it was true that some flawed bolts for other types of helicopters could have been delivered, but no problems found in the bolts of the chopper and parts were acquired normally.

The helicopter in question was introduced in 1999 and was not deteriorated as its lifespan was over 30 years. Seventeen people lost their lives at the accidents in 1993 and 2010, and the helicopter made an emergency landing in the West Sea in 2010. Thus, there is a need to investigate the flaws, poor maintenance, and all other possibilities. If the fatal accident was caused by corruptions in defense acquisition programs, those in charge must be punished according to the law.

Recent earthquakes, typhoons, and other natural disasters as well as security threats frequently cause the death of man in uniform (MIU) including soldier, firefighter and policeman. Thanks to their sacrifice, this country is not sinking regardless of internal and external troubles.



한기흥기자 eligius@donga.com