"How Can We Trust the Marines?" Outrage Erupts After Soldier Forced to Train Suffers Muscle Necrosis Again

A controversy has erupted following allegations that a Marine Corps unit in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, forced a soldier suffering from rhabdomyolysis—a condition involving the necrosis of muscle cells—to participate in grueling training, causing a relapse.

According to the victim's family today (August 11), the soldier lost consciousness while running with peers during physical training in early July and was hospitalized after being diagnosed with heatstroke and rhabdomyolysis.

Rhabdomyolysis is a condition where muscle tissue is damaged and muscle cells are destroyed due to excessive body temperature elevation, overexertion, or trauma.

Even after returning to the unit, the soldier continued to experience pain. Although the military medical clinic issued a medical opinion stating that training should be avoided, the unit reportedly ignored the request to exempt the soldier and forced participation in a battalion training session held late last month.

Ultimately, after enduring days of training, the soldier developed symptoms such as dizziness and vomiting, received a diagnosis of relapsed rhabdomyolysis, and has been hospitalized at a civilian hospital for treatment until recently.

The victim's family members expressed outrage, stating, "We want to hold the military officers accountable for their irresponsibility in brushing aside even the military doctor's opinion," and adding, "Unit officials have not even offered an apology so far."

They also vented their anger, asking, "How can we trust the Marine Corps and send our son back to the unit?" and "Isn't this an act of harsh treatment?"

As the controversy grew, the Marine Corps acknowledged the relapse caused by forced participation in training, stating, "We have launched an inspection into the unit officials and plan to take action based on the investigation results."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.