[Anchor]

A Marine Corps non-commissioned officer was found dead in an apparent firearm accident at off-base quarters yesterday, prompting a joint investigation by military authorities and the police. Although the deceased officer had smuggled a firearm and ammunition out of the base, the unit remained unaware of the breach for more than 60 hours.

Reporter Choi Jae-yeong has the details.

[Reporter]

The non-commissioned officer, assigned to a Marine Corps unit in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, was found dead at off-base quarters at around 10:00 AM yesterday.

A K1 submachine gun and a spent cartridge were found at the scene.

The Marine Corps determined that the deceased officer left the base in a vehicle at around 3:00 PM on July 31, with no subsequent records of base entry.

For three days—spanning over 60 hours—the unit was completely oblivious to the fact that a firearm and ammunition had been taken off base without authorization.

A Marine Corps official stated, "It is true that we were unaware of the removal of the firearm and ammunition," adding, "Military investigative agencies are focusing their investigation on this aspect."

The deceased officer served as an armorer responsible for managing firearms and ammunition.

Regulations dictate that the keys to the armory and ammunition storage must be kept separately by two individuals, and both must be present to open the doors when retrieving weapons.

While the unit in question also stored the two keys separately in the command control room, it failed to prevent the unauthorized removal of the firearm.

[Shin Jong-woo / Secretary General, Korea Defense and Security Forum: It is crucial to closely examine whether the firearm and ammunition management system is capable of preventing such unauthorized removals and to establish preventive measures.]

In September of last year, an officer at the Korea Army Academy at Yeongcheon was also found dead after leaving the base with a K2 rifle and live ammunition.

Military investigators and the police conducted an on-site inspection yesterday in the presence of the bereaved family, and no particular signs of external foul play have been reported so far.

A military official said, "We expect to determine the exact circumstances of the death only after confirming the precise time of death through an autopsy and completing mobile phone forensics."

(Video Editing: Jung Sung-hoon)