Marine Corps shooter says he was ostracized by superiors, juniors

(ATTN: CHANGES headline, lead; RESTRUCTURES)
SEOUL, July 5 (Yonhap) -- The Marine Corps corporal who shot four of his colleagues dead this week said he had long been ostracized by fellow troops, according to military investigators Tuesday, shedding light on the motives behind the incident.
The admission 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 soldiers and injuring another. Kim himself was also injured after detonating a hand grenade in an apparent suicide attempt inside a warehouse.
According to a defense ministry official, Kim, who is being treated at a military hospital, is still unable to speak because of his injuries. By writing to investigators, Kim said serving on the unit was "extremely painful" and he wanted to die.
"They didn't treat me and respect me as their superior," Kim wrote, referring to lower-ranked Marines.
The official said Kim accused Lance Cpl. Kwon Seung-hyuk, one of the four victims, of leading other junior soldiers in ostracizing Kim.
The official said Kim also wrote that his superiors didn't take care of him as their junior. He said such a practice -- a soldier shunned by both superiors and juniors -- is common in the Marine Corps.
The official added that Kim denied that family issues had anything to do with the shooting.



Earlier Tuesday, a military officer claimed Kim had mental problems and had been under special care at his unit.
In a report on the incident, obtained by Rep. Shin Hak-yong of the Democratic Party (DP), 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 that Kim might have been intoxicated at the time of the 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."