Police Suspect 140 Missing Ammunition at Daejeon and Cheonan Prisons Disappeared Years Ago

Police investigating the missing ammunition cases at the Daejeon and Cheonan prisons have reportedly concluded that the ammunition went missing several years ago.

According to the Daejeon Yuseong Police Station on September 10, police are investigating employee A, who was in charge of ammunition management at the Daejeon Prison, on charges of embezzlement in the course of duty following a request for investigation by the Ministry of Justice early last month.

Based on reference witness testimony from Ministry of Justice and ammunition supplier officials, as well as evidence including secured ammunition ledger records, Daejeon police believe the 100 rounds of ammunition disappeared around 2020.

While the whereabouts of the missing live rounds remain unknown, police believe it is more likely that the ammunition was lost due to poor management rather than intentionally embezzled by the responsible employee.

No circumstances indicating intentional diversion of the ammunition by A have been identified so far.

During police questioning, A strongly denied the allegations but reportedly could not accurately recall how or when the ammunition went missing.

Similarly, the Cheonan Seobuk Police Station in South Chungcheong Province is investigating employee B on charges of embezzlement in connection with the disappearance of 40 rounds of ammunition at the Cheonan Prison.

A police official stated, "It is also estimated that the ammunition at the Cheonan Prison went missing at least several years ago. While they are being investigated on embezzlement charges, we cannot rule out the possibility that numbers did not match up due to perfunctory inspections over the years without calculating the exact discrepancies during ammunition management."

Previously, the Ministry of Justice discovered during a comprehensive audit of the Daejeon Prison in June that the actual quantity of 9mm K-5 ammunition was 100 rounds less than what was recorded in the ledger, prompting an internal investigation.

While it was confirmed that there were no ledger errors, clerical misentries, or possibilities of loss inside the armory, a subsequent full-scale inspection of correctional facilities nationwide regarding firearm and ammunition management revealed that the Cheonan Prison was also short 40 rounds of 5.56mm M16 ammunition compared to its ledger records.

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