Armed U.S. soldier surrenders five hours after desertion

PYEONGTAEK, South Korea, Jan. 30 (Yonhap) -- An armed U.S. soldier gave himself up to authorities Friday five hours after deserting his barracks in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) and Korean police said Friday.

The 21-year-old Korean-American soldier, assigned to the military police unit of
the U.S. Osan Air Base, left the base at 11:30 p.m. Thursday carrying a 7mm
pistol and 30 bullets, USFK officials and police said.
Police and USFK authorities searched the area and tightened traffic stops on
nearby roads after the soldier called his wife, who lives off-base, saying he was
carrying the weapons.
He then called his Korean mother at around 4:30 a.m. Friday to say he wanted to
surrender, police said, and was soon transferred to the base and the gun and ammo
were confiscated by the USFK military police.
An official with the Osan base said that the man may have left the base due to a
conflict with his wife.
There are about 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea as a legacy of the
1950-53 Korean War, providing a deterrent against North Korea.
brk@yna.co.kr
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