Army: Reservist at 73rd Division Died of Pancreatitis, Condition Pre-dated Training

▲ Reservist (File Photo)

The South Korean Army announced that an investigation into the death of a reservist at the 73rd Division concluded that the cause of death was pancreatitis, a condition the reservist had been receiving treatment for prior to entering the training facility.

The Army stated that an autopsy, conducted in the presence of the family, determined that the cause of death was the pancreatitis for which the deceased had been receiving treatment before joining the training. The Army added, "We also sought opinions from two private forensic advisory institutions, which further confirmed a causal relationship between the illness and the death."

The reservist collapsed and lost consciousness while moving to a night training site during a large-scale mobilization exercise in May, where active-duty soldiers and reservists were forming a mobilization division and operating at designated deployment points.

The Army explained that although the reservist had been receiving treatment for an underlying condition, he had been diligently fulfilling his duties, participating actively in all training sessions without missing any.

However, the Army acknowledged that the investigation into the reservist's death revealed some shortcomings in medical support and safety control, and stated that it would take follow-up measures to address these issues.

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