Marine Corps shooter had mental issues: officer

SEOUL, July 5 (Yonhap) -- The Marine Corps corporal who shot four of his colleagues dead this week had mental problems and had been under special care at his unit, a military officer said Tuesday.
The revelation came a day after the 19-year-old corporal, identified only as Kim, opened fire inside the barracks of a seaside unit on Ganghwa Island, west of Seoul, killing four and injuring another. Kim himself was injured after detonating a hand grenade in an apparent suicide attempt inside a warehouse.



In a report on the incident, obtained by Rep. Shin Hak-yong of the Democratic Party, an unidentified first lieutenant said Kim had been under the watchful eye of the unit's leadership for his mental health issues.
"The personality test done during the training (prior to joining the unit last September) showed that he had anxiety and personality disorders and showed signs of schizophrenia," the first lieutenant was quoted as saying.
In a press conference, however, Navy Cpt. Kwon Young-jae, who is in charge of the ongoing investigation into the case, denied Kim had major mental issues.



"He didn't have any record or history of problems," Kwon said. "His personality test showed that he needed to be looked after, but it wasn't anything that his superiors thought would harm others. If so, they would have taken a more active approach."
Kwon confirmed earlier reports that some notes were found inside Kim's lockers. The notes read, "Many people have tried to change me. That's how much of a troublemaker I've been...To tell you the truth, I want to give up everything and put an end to this all."
Kwon said investigators were still trying to determine whether Kim had indeed written those words.
Kwon added Kim might have been intoxicated at the time of shooting.
"A private who had spoken to Kim earlier testified that Kim's breath reeked of alcohol and his face had reddened," Kwon said. "We discovered some liquor bottles on the unit and we're trying to find out if Kim had consumed those bottles."
According to Kwon, investigators have not yet been able to question Kim about his motives because of his injuries. Kim is being treated at a military hospital in Daejeon, about 160 kilometers south of Seoul.
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