Court: 27-minute late return to unit is desertion from military service

A Korean court has ruled that a soldier who was 27 minutes late return to the military unit after a vacation committed a crime of desertion from military service.

The Incheon District Court announced on Sunday that a soldier, 23, was sentenced to six months in prison with two years of probation on charges of desertion from military service. “Crime of desertion from military service is completed simultaneously when the act of desertion takes place. Circumstances that occurred afterwards do not affect constitution of the crime," the court said. "The defendant had not returned to the military unit and was caught near his house, even though the unit provided one more round of vacation."

The soldier was prosecuted on charges of being late to return to the military unit after a regular vacation of 14 days when he served as sergeant senior at an infantry division in Paju City, Gyeonggi Province, in November 2014. A was caught by the military police at an Internet café near his house and returned to the unit 27 minutes late.

The soldier alleged his innocence by saying, “I returned to the unit only less than 30 minutes late from the vacation expiration time. Military Criminal Act defines the desertion as a case where a soldier does not return to the military unit for an extended time of period,” but the court rejected his plea.

run-juno@donga.com