Army vows to overhaul reserve training medical support after Pocheon death

The Army said Thursday it will overhaul its medical support system for reserve training, pledging to station dedicated medical evacuation teams at all reserve training sites by year's end so that emergency care can be provided within the critical response window — a response to the death of a reservist in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, in May.

Army Vice Chief of Staff Choi Jang-sik held a press briefing at the Ministry of National Defense on Thursday, offering condolences to the family of the reservist who died during mobilization training on May 13. "I offer my sincere condolences to the bereaved family," he said.

The Army identified pancreatitis — a pre-existing condition the reservist had been receiving treatment for before entering training — as the cause of death, while acknowledging shortcomings in safety oversight and medical support during the exercise.

"The Army, together with military investigative authorities and relevant agencies, is conducting an investigation to determine the cause of death," Choi said. "We have identified some problems with the reserve training and are focused on correcting them as part of our follow-up measures."

The incident occurred during a corps-level combined integration exercise — known as the Ssangyong exercise — held from May 12 to 14. On the evening of May 13, the second day of reserve training for the division, the soldier lost consciousness and collapsed while moving to a nighttime operational exercise after dinner. Instructors on the scene immediately performed CPR, and the soldier was transported by a 119 ambulance to a nearby civilian hospital, where he ultimately died.

The Army said an autopsy identified pancreatitis, which the soldier had been receiving treatment for before the training, as the cause of death. "We additionally sought opinions from two civilian forensic advisory institutions, both of which confirmed a causal relationship between the pancreatitis and the death," an Army official said.

The Army said a number of allegations that had circulated were not supported by the facts. "It is absolutely not true that the division commander monitored the training with a drone," Choi said. "The drone in operation at the time was used for public affairs and situational documentation, and the investigation found that the division commander was conducting an on-site inspection at a different unit."

However, the Army acknowledged structural problems exposed by the incident. "We identified a lack of integrated safety management at the higher command level during the exercise, as well as insufficient medical support and safety control given the expanded scale of the training," an Army official said, adding that follow-up measures are underway.

To prevent a recurrence, the Army said it will comprehensively reform its medical support system for reserve training. It will complete, by year's end, a system that stations medical evacuation teams at all reserve training sites to ensure emergency care within the critical response window.

For large-scale field exercises, the Army plans to integrate medical personnel from the division, adjacent units and, when necessary, civilian medical staff. It will also expand the distribution of automated external defibrillators from the battalion level down to the company level and reinforce emergency medical staffing.

Health questionnaires will also be revised. The Army plans to move beyond the current format of simple condition checks to a more detailed system that captures past medical history, specific symptoms and recent health status.

The Army said it will also improve overall training conditions, examining the introduction of an integrated logistics support system that would provide showers, restrooms, dining facilities and rest areas at field training sites through civilian contracts. It pledged to address a range of reservist grievances, including long-distance travel requirements and aging facilities.

"The Army regards the lives and safety of participating reservists as the top priority, no less important than training outcomes," Choi said. "We will approach the identified problems with humility and work to correct them."