S.K. soldier completes military service after being in hiding
A soldier who went AWOL from the South Korean army in 1988 has turned himself into the police, after spending 18 years on the run. According to the Army on September 24, Lee Gyeong-hwan, 39, deserted his unit in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, in July 1988 while performing his mandatory military service. Since then, Lee said he has lived with severe mental distress over the incident. After deserting his unit to be with his girlfriend, Lee could not return home to his parents. He has not talked to his family since, having had to sever ties with them to stay on the lam. Additionally, his resident registration was cancelled; in effect, he no longer existed. Lee had to use a false name and lie about his identity. Understandably, he faced trouble in gaining employment, let alone in opening a bank account or in getting married. Persuaded by the head of the handbag factory where he is now working, Lee decided to "live honorably" and gave himself up to the authorities in July. He received a suspended sentence.Lee returned to his unit as a corporal on August 11 to complete his military service, but in consideration of his health and age, military authorities decided that he could not serve in active duty. After a month, Lee was discharged, having finally met the government’s requirement. To current and future soldiers, Lee had this advice: "If any one of you wants to run away from the military, please remember me, a 40-year-old corporal. Unless you get your military service over with now, you will be a tree without roots and will abandon yourself to hardship."
