Tag: crime

1967 was the first year that US troops were allowed to be tried in a Korean court under the newly signed US-ROK Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA).  Prior to the SOFA, US troops caught committing crimes in South Korea were tried in US military court martial. The first US servicemember tried in a Korean court was US Air Force Staff Sergent Billy Cox who was convicted in a taxi cab related incident.  However, the first servicemember tried in the death of a Korean national was US Army Specialist John Vaughn.

Vaughn was a 20 year old Specialist from Douglasville, Georgia assigned to E Battery, 4th Missile Battalion, 44th Artillery outside of Kunsan where he served as a unit medic.  Vaughn was accused of throwing a block of wood from the back of a moving vehicle and fatally killing 59 year old Dok-sin Yi who was a fish peddler riding a bicycle that the truck passed. What is especially interesting about this trial is not only is it the first trial of a US servicemember accused of killing a Korean national handled in a Korean court, but also the incident happened while on duty.  What this means is that USFK voluntarily gave up jurisdiction for this case since any crime committed on duty is supposed to be handled by the US military.  Considering how South Korea was in the midst of an attempted insurgency operation by North Korea at the time maybe the USFK leadership felt that even a case like this one that should have been tried by a court martial would be best to have in a Korean court to avoid any political repercussions?

Whatever the reasons, Vaughn found himself on trial in a Korean court and it may have actually worked out to his advantage.  Vaughn claimed he accidentally dropped the wood from the truck that struck and killed Mr. Yi.  The Korean Judge said that the prosecutors could not prove that Vaughn intentionally dropped the piece of wood from the truck that struck Mr. Yi.  Due to this fact the judge convicted Vaughn of manslaughter and fined him 30,000 won which in 1967 was worth about $110.  In addition to the $110 that Vaughn had to pay, USFK already paid the victim’s family $2,200 as well in compensation for the accident.  Overall I would have to think that Specialist Vaughn must have felt pretty lucky to not have been convicted of more serious charges and only had to pay a $110 fine even if the death of Mr. Yi was an accident.

Note: You can read more GI Flashbacks articles by clicking on the below link: 

This should come as no surprise that the man who slashed US Ambassador Mark Lippert was a radical leftist inspired by North Korean propaganda:

The South Korean man who slashed the top U.S. envoy to Seoul earlier this year committed the crime after being influenced by North Korea’s propaganda, police said Tuesday.

Kim Ki-jong attacked Mark Lippert with a knife at a breakfast function at a cultural center in central Seoul on March 5, leaving the US ambassador with deep gashes on his face and arm that needed more than 80 stitches to close.

Prosecutors have charged Kim with attempted murder, violence against a foreign envoy and business obstruction.

On Tuesday, police brought an additional charge of violating South Korea’s National Security Law that prohibits citizens from supporting or praising North Korea.

Police said Kim’s alleged attempt to kill Lippert was inspired by North Korea’s propaganda that incited the killing of the U.S. envoy.

North Korea has hailed Kim as a hero, comparing him to Ahn Joong-keun, a renowned anti-Japanese independence fighter revered in both Koreas. Still, North Korea has disavowed its involvement in the attack, which South Korean officials called “an act of terrorism.”

Police also said books and other materials confiscated from Kim’s home support North Korea’s strategy of communizing South Korea.

In April, he told the first session of his pretrial at a court that he did not try to murder the ambassador and that he was proud he reduced the annual South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises by one day.  [Yonhap]

You can read more at the link.

Could you imagine what the reaction would be if these were American servicemembers accused of this even if the story didn’t add up like this one apparently isn’t according to the report:

Eight Korean men are embroiled in a rape scandal in the Philippines, which has prompted other Korean expats there to fear for their safety.

Broadcaster GMA reported Monday that the eight Korean men are suspected of raping a Filipino woman in her 20s after plying her with alcohol and taking her to a hotel.

The Filipino broadcaster said the woman met one of the men in online chat and agreed to meet him for drinks. The woman says the two then went to another bar, where seven other Korean men sexually molested her and took her to a hotel where they raped her. She says the men physically assaulted her when she tried to resist and she had to go to hospital.

Police have not yet been able to find definitive evidence to corroborate the victims’ claims of rape.

The report created a public uproar in the Philippines and went viral on the Internet. But a Korean Embassy inspector says the woman’s claims do not add up.

The inspector told the Chosun Ilbo, “A close inspection of surveillance camera footage showed no trace of the seven other men who the woman claimed took part in the rape.”

Police in the Philippines are investigating the prime suspect. An embassy official said, “We are concerned that the report by a major broadcaster could harm Korea’s image and lead to revenge attacks on Koreans. We plan to seek a review of the police investigation and launch an official response.”  [Chosun Ilbo]

Hopefully the truth will eventually come out, but this is another example of why people should wait and see facts come out before drawing conclusions on crimes like this.  However, she did go to the hospital which should be able to provide a wealth of physical and forensic evidence to help determine if she was gang raped even if the video evidence does not support it.  So it will be interesting to see what comes of this case.

This just goes to show that in Korea there are limits to free speech that people need to be aware of:

Suwon District Court sentenced four months in prison to two “Ilbe” members who were convicted of criminal insult. The insult unfolded in this manner: one defendant, last named Kim, purchased the school uniform for Danwon High School–the high school whose entire second year class nearly wiped out in the Sewol tragedy–for the purpose of Internet trolling. Kim discussed with the other defendant, last named Cho, about the best way to troll, and Cho suggested Kim take a picture of himself wearing the uniform and holding up a stick of fish cake. The caption for the picture would read: “I made a new friend”–that is to say, the drowned Danwon student is now friends with fish.  [Marmot’s Hole]

You can read the rest at the link, but this seems like a pretty harsh punishment for Internet trolling.  Korean men who rape USFK soldiers get less less jail time than this.

Just when you thought you have seen all the stupid incidents a soldier could cause in Korea someone finds a new level of stupid:

Police say a U.S. soldier was detained after rushing onto the field during a professional baseball game in Seoul in what they called a “heroic” attempt to impress his girlfriend.

The soldier, identified by South Korean police as a 30-year-old corporal, rushed onto the field of Jamsil Stadium around 7:30 p.m. Saturday during a nationally televised game between the Doosan Bears and Hanhwa Eagles.

Doosan security guards nabbed the soldier, who was attending the game with friends, as he ran toward second to first base. Officials suspended the game for about five minutes following the incident.

8th Army spokesman Col. Shawn Stroud said the soldier has been released to his unit and is being investigated by South Korean police. A Jamsil police officer said police could smell alcohol on his breath. His name was not released.

The soldier is expected to be charged with obstruction of work, which carries a penalty of up to five years in prison and a fine up to 15 million won (about $13,700). The officer said the soldier is unlikely to receive the stiffest punishment, and similar disturbances have resulted in fines or suspended sentences.  [Stars & Stripes]

A couple of USFK servicemembers have found themselves in trouble and it made the local news:

Police said Tuesday that they have arrested a U.S. serviceman over an alleged assault on a South Korean employee at a local club after being drunk.

The 29-year-old U.S. soldier, whose name has not been revealed, was arrested Sunday on accusations of hitting a South Korean employee’s face with a brick at a club located in the central Seoul.

Police said the sergeant was kicked out of the club after being too drunk and was protesting against the move when he made the assault.

He was immediately arrested and was handed over to the U.S. military police. Police said they will summon the soldier for further investigation in the near future.

In a separate case, another 28-year-old U.S. sergeant was also questioned by police on Sunday after fighting with three South Koreans. (Yonhap)

I don’t know what’s worse about this story, the victims trying to bribe their way into jobs or the conman who took their money for himself?:

A former Camp Stanley employee was arrested on allegations that he bilked South Koreans out of more than $740,000 in exchange for non-existent base jobs — and enlisted an unwitting U.S. soldier’s help to pull off the scam, South Korean police said.

The man identified by the surname Gang, 54, posed as a high-level base hospital official and convinced 27 people during the past six years to hand him a total of 800 million won, Uiwang Police Station officials told Stars and Stripes.

Gang forged Army documents and took his victims on tours of Yongsan Garrison, Camp Humphreys and other areas to help sell his story, police said.

Gang also convinced a U.S. soldier at Camp Stanley that the victims were prospective employees, then had the soldier interview them by phone to test their English, said Jo Min-chang, of Uiwang’s Economic Crime Investigation Team.

Police said they do not think the soldier knew he was participating in fraud.

Gang worked at Camp Stanley for more than 20 years before being fired last month, Jo said. He had most recently served as an ambulance driver.

When the victims began to complain about employment delays, police say Gang issued forged apology letters that used official Army logos, fonts and style, if not necessarily proper grammar.

“We would like to make an apology for any damage to who are newly employed and promoted because of a conflict between the 8th Army and Korean members of the 8th Army,” one of the letters read, according to a sample obtained from Uiwang police. “We, the 8th Army, are sincerely doing our best to make smooth recovery. And therefore, we would like to wish domestic bliss.”

In other letters, he blamed North Korean nuclear threats and bilateral defense budgets for causing delays, police said.  [Stars & Stripes]

You can read the rest at the link.

Does anyone else find it ridiculous that the crew is getting rightfully slammed by the legal system while the ferry boat company who is just as much to blame for the Sewol tragedy was fined under $10,000?:

Prosecutors demanded capital punishment for the captain of the Sewol ferry, which sank in South Korean waters leaving more than 300 people killed or missing a year ago, during an appeals trial on Tuesday.

The captain, Lee Jun-seok, and 14 other crew members of the ferry were accused of abandoning the ferry and the 476 people on board in the early hours of the ship sinking off South Korea’s southwest coast on April 16.

Prosecutors had sought a death penalty for the captain and life imprisonment for three crew members in charge of steering the ship and jail terms ranging from 15 to 30 years for 11 other crew members.

But a district court sentenced Lee to 36 years in jail, clearing him of manslaughter and other major charges in November.

The 14 others were given jail terms ranging from five to 30 years, while the ferry’s operator Chonghaejin Corp. was fined 10 million won ($9,161). They all appealed the rulings.  [Korea Herald]

You can read more at the link, but instead of trying to kill the captain who will already spend the rest of his life in jail how about going after Chonghaejin and increasing the ridiculously low fine they received.

Here are the latest USFK court martial and ROK criminal prosecution results.  In February there was a couple of creepy child sex offenders convicted:

Results of Army Courts-Martial for February 2015

On 17 February 2015, at a General Court-Martial, Specialist Nicholas J. Majetich, 94th Military Police Battalion, 501st Sustainment Brigade, was found guilty of one specification of sexual abuse of a child under 16 years of age (Article 120, UCMJ).  He was sentenced to be reduced to E-1, to be confined for 15 months; and to be discharged with a Bad Conduct Discharge.

On 18 February 2015, at a General Court-Martial, Specialist Steven V Dang, 2-1 Air Defense Artillery, 35^th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, was found guilty of one specification of possession of child pornography (Article 134, UCMJ).  He was sentence to be confined for 20 months, to be reduced to E-1, and to receive a Bad Conduct Discharge.

On 23 February 2015, at a General Court-Martial, Specialist Joseph A. Warren, 1-15 Field Artillery, 210th Field Artillery Brigade, 2d Infantry Division, was found guilty of one specification of making a false official statement (Article 107, UCMJ), one specification of wrongful use of a controlled substance (Article 112a), one specification of aggravated assault in (Article 128), one specification of assault consummated by battery (Article 128), and one specification of communicating a threat (Article 134).  He was sentenced to be reduced to E-1, to be confined for 17 months, and to receive a Bad-Conduct Discharge.

On 27 February 2015, at a General Court-Martial, PV2 Javier Davis, 618^th DENTAC, 65^th Medical Brigade, was found guilty of one specification of assault consummated by a battery (Article 128, UCMJ).  He was sentenced to be reprimanded, to be reduced to E-1, to forfeit $1546 per month for two months, to be restricted for 60 days, and to perform hard labor without confinement for 60 days.

Results of ROK Criminal Prosecutions for February 2015

In Busan District Court on 3 February 2015, MCPO William D. Combs, MSC-K, Busan, was convicted of Violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Crimes (Hit and Run Vehicle).  His adjudged sentence was a 3,000,000 Won fine.

In Daegu District Court on 5 February 2015, SGT Liuneta J. Ioane, Jr., HHC, 19th ESC, USAG Daegu, was convicted of Indecent Act by Compulsion.  His adjudged sentence was a 3,000,000 Won fine and ordered to register as sex offender with the local authority.

In Jeonju District Court on 4 February 2015, SSgt Jael X. Laborn, 8th FW (duty w/AFN), Kunsan Air Base, was convicted of traffic law violations including leaving the scene of the accident.  His adjudged sentence was a 5,000,000 Won fine.

In Suwon District Court on 12 February 2015, SFC Darin A. Cox, A Btry, 6/52d ADA, Osan Air Base, was convicted of DUI and a violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Crimes (Death or Injury Resulting from Dangerous Driving).  His adjudged sentence was a 6,000,000 Won fine.

This guy is quite the burglar considering he stole over $480,000 in valuables in less than a year:

An ex-convict who allegedly underwent surgery to change his appearance in order to continue carrying out burglaries has been arrested, authorities said Monday.

Police in Incheon, west of Seoul, said the 35-year-old man stole 530 million won (US$480,000) worth of valuables from April to December 2014.

The man had undergone surgery to reduce his jaw size and lengthen his legs in an apparent attempt to conceal his identity, the Incheon Nambu Police Station said. The man, however, said the procedures were intended to boost his self-esteem.

A former worker in home decoration, he also used handmade tools to dismantle digital door locks at more than 80 apartments, authorities said, adding they are looking to see whether he had committed other crimes.  [Yonhap]