South Korean soldier dies after suffering gunshot wound to head
A 21-year-old South Korean Marine was found dead from a gunshot wound on Daecheong Island Saturday, with authorities investigating whether the shooting was accidental or intentional amid rising concerns over firearm-related incidents in the military.
- Asia
- Anadolu Agency
- Published Date: 07:31 | 14 September 2025
A South Korean soldier died Saturday after being shot in the head at a unit on an island off the west coast, Yonhap News reported.
The 21-year-old Marine Corps sergeant was discovered behind the wheel of his vehicle with a gunshot wound to the forehead and bleeding heavily, said the military.
The Marine, who served as a transport soldier, had been dispatched earlier in the day for a coastal search mission on Daecheong Island in Incheon, 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) west of Seoul, officials reported.
He was found in critical condition and was pronounced dead around 9 am (0000GMT), before he could be transported to a hospital.
The Marine Corps said the bullet the soldier was shot with was confirmed to be live, though it remains uncertain whether he was accidentally shot.
Military police and local police will investigate the site to determine the exact cause of the incident, it added.
It marks the most recent in a series of firearm-related cases in the military.
On Aug. 23, an Army sergeant first class died by suicide from his rifle at a front-line guard post, and Sept. 2, a captain at the Korea Army Academy in Yeongcheon also took his life with a rifle.