Killed and wounded during a South Korean Army exercise

A recruit from the South Korean army has died and an officer has been injured during training after an accidental explosion of a grenade, reported AFP.
The explosion occurred "during a grenade-throwing exercise" at a military unit in South Chungcheong province, about 100 km south of the capital Seoul, the defense ministry said.
The unit quickly transported the two wounded men to a military hospital, but the recruit died. The injured officer is conscious and receiving emergency treatment.
"The military sincerely expresses its deepest condolences to the family of the deceased soldier and plans to investigate the exact cause of the incident in cooperation with the civilian police," the ministry added.
All able-bodied South Korean men under the age of 30 must complete about two years of military service.
The South Korean military relies heavily on conscription, and conscription is often linked to deployment to frontline positions along the border with North Korea.
For many young South Koreans, the conscription policy is an unwelcome and deeply resented intervention that interferes with education or starting a career, especially in a rapidly aging society where the workforce shrinks with each passing year.
Death in the line of duty is a sensitive subject for the government and the military. The case of the marine, who died last year while working on flood relief, has become political in the run-up to parliamentary elections in April.
In mid-2010, there were a number of shooting incidents involving suicides and reservists who turned their weapons on other members of their unit./BGNES