13 military doctors arrested for alleged golf outings

SEOUL, April 1 (Yonhap) -- Thirteen more medical officers have been arrested after allegedly playing golf while on duty, a military prosecutor said Wednesday, following the arrest last week of nine officers on similar charges.

"It's now 22," an investigator at the Prosecutors' Office at the Ministry of
National Defense said, declining to be named. Nearly 90 more medical officers are
likely to undergo investigation on suspicion of similar activity, he added.
The prosecution said Friday that it had arrested the nine officers for frequently
playing golf while on duty and booked three without restraint. The new arrests
took place over the weekend, the investigator said.
Medical school students usually serve as doctors in South Korea's military, which
runs a compulsory armed service for all able-bodied men.
The officers could face a prison term of up to a year if court-martialed. Those
detained were held based on how many times they played golf during duty hours,
but a military jail term would not affect their professional service after
discharge, officials said.
South Korea has 655,000 troops facing North Korea's 1.2 million-strong force
after their 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce rather than a peace treaty.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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