[medals image; Photo Credit to Pixabay]

Marine corporal Su-geun Chae, who died in the line of his duty, received the Order of National Security Merit on July 21st, 2023.

The Republic of Korea Marine Corps said they had approved the eligibility of Corporal Chae’s Order and the ordination ceremony took place at 2 P.M.

The Prime Commander of the Republic of Korea Marine Corps, Kye-hwan Kim, handed the Order to the Chae family, and Corporal Chae’s father had placed the award in front of his son’s funeral portrait.

On Wednesday, Corporal Chae had been swept away by an intense torrent at Nae-seong Stream caused by successive heavy rainfall. The rescue authorities found his body 5.8kilometers downstream from where he was reported to be missing.

The Navy Review Committee has said that since Chae has died while performing a national mission regarding security purposes, he is eligible to receive the Order of National Security Merit.

The Order of National Security Merit is an award given to an individual who made a huge contribution in the name of national security. It is one of the most honorable awards a soldier can earn during his/her service.

The Military Personnel Management Act determined Chae’s case as “degree 1 military personnel death”, which is approved when a soldier dies in his/her boots while performing a national mission that is characterized as severely dangerous in terms of protecting one’s life.

Since his death was approved as degree 1 military personnel death, his body could rest in the National Memorial Board, the Chae family has decided to have his son to rest at Imsil Protectorate.

After the ceremony, Corporal Chae’s mother started to grieve over his son’s death again, causing huge tears from Chae’s family members and friends during the funeral.

Suk-yeol Yoon, the President of the Republic of Korea, offered his condolences over Corporal Chae’s death. "I express my sincere condolences over L. Cpl. Chae Su-geun's death in the line of duty," Yoon said in a message delivered from the presidential spokesperson Lee Do-woon.

"The government will thoroughly investigate the cause of the accident to ensure such incidents do not recur," he added. 

It has been 3 days since Chae’s body was found, but many people are still visiting his resting place in order to show their condolence toward him, his family, and his friends.

However, even though the genuine cause of Corporal Chae’s death was not officially revealed,  the public blames the Republic of Korea Marine Corps for its negligence upon the security of the marines.

They said that Corporal Chae could have survived if the Marine Corps had paid more attention to the safety equipment provided to the marines.

 “We are conducting an investigation into the decisions made at the scene, and we will supplement (relevant) rules and guidelines,” said Lt. Col. Choi Yong-sun, a Marine Corps spokesperson.

People are waiting for the official report from the Government of the Republic of Korea and it seems that an increasing number of people will advocate for the wellness of the deployed soldiers in South Korea.