Military police shoot gas gun at colleague as a joke... disciplinary action

[Anchor]
An accident in which a gas gun was fired at a person as a joke during an Air Force military police shooting drill was belatedly confirmed.

Regarding the claim that there was an attempt to cover up the accident, the Air Force explained that the disciplinary action was taken, saying that there was only confusion.

YTN has secured the scene of the accident.

Reporter Kim Ki-soo's report.

[Reporter]
Two soldiers grab a gas gun and pull the trigger at the target.

One of them suddenly pointed a gun at a fellow soldier and the gas was fired.

The soldier who was shot is in pain, with his head wrapped around him.

Soldiers nearby run to check the condition and spray water to wash off the gas.

In August last year, an air force unit military police in Chungnam was playing during a gas gun shooting drill.

[Accident victim: There is a stopper that blocks the gas. I think I got hit by it. It stung at first as I went out. I lost my mind for a moment and it was so hot that I had tears and a runny nose.]

He claims that the training continued even though there was a similar accident about 10 minutes ago, and that the executive at the scene tried to hide the accident.

[Accident victim: Of course, it's not going to be a big deal. from one's point of view I asked him to match my words. "I hit the target properly, but it bounced and hit me luckily"....]


The unit commander who received the accident report started to check the facts, and related measures have been taken since then.

The Air Force explained that there was confusion in identifying the situation in the process of reporting the incident for the first time, and that it was not an attempt to cover it up.

He also explained that CCTV was checked a day after the accident, and that inspection and disciplinary measures were taken accordingly.

[Accident Victim: After being discharged from the military, I saw a lot of military-related accidents in the news. I should report it and be alert. That's what I thought.]

Experts say even non-killing gas guns can seriously hurt themselves if they are hit in close proximity,
He points out that it is impossible for a soldier, moreover, a military police officer, to aim a gun at a colleague as a joke.

[Kwon Young-seok / Professor of Military Studies at Daejeon University] If you fire a gas gun into your face, of course, it's very dangerous. In particular, there is a risk of blindness if it goes wrong. The fact that the direction of the firearm goes to our allies or comrades is really closely related to military discipline.]

After the accident, the Air Force delivered measures to the unit to prevent recurrence, such as strengthening operational guidelines training for gas gun personnel.Although the Air Force came up with follow-up measures after the

accident, some point out that military discipline needs to be checked.

I'm Kim Ki-soo of YTN.