2,254 S. Korea Army Suicides Reported
A total of 2,254 South Korean soldiers have killed themselves in the last eight years, the Defense Ministry said Wednesday.
A ministry statement to Parliament said 2,254 men had committed suicide since 1980, 290 more died from unspecified violent acts and 3,723 were killed in training and other accidents.
The newspaper Dong-A Ilbo said the high death toll resulted from the harsh discipline and violence prevalent in the South Korean armed forces.
Seoul maintains a 640,000-strong army, largely drafted, to guard against a perceived invasion threat from Communist North Korea.
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