Image: Ahn Young-joon/Associated Press
The South Korean sergeant who killed five comrades and wounded seven others on Saturday has been surrounded at an elementary school after exchanging fire with authorities, as a tense standoff mounts, according to local media.
One soldier was injured in the shootout Sunday, according to Korea's Yonhap News Agency. Authorities are now negotiating with the sergeant.
"There was a shootout in which about 10 shots were fired in an area just north of South Korea's civilian passage restriction line," a military spokesperson told reporters, according to Yonhap. "We're currently persuading him to surrender."
The sergeant, only identified by his surname of Yim, according to the AP (Yonhap reported that his surname is Lim), also threw a grenade at one point that did not cause any casualties. The man's parents are on the scene, and are trying to persuade him to surrender.
The initial attack started Saturday when Yim opened fire on his fellow soldiers at a military station in the South Korean province of Gangwon. The base is not far from the country's border with North Korea â€" generally considered the most militarized border in the world â€" with thousands of troops from both countries stationed there. There is reportedly no evidence that North Korea was involved in the assault.
Authorities identified Yim as having problems; in April 2013, the sergeant was considered "a grade A protected soldier" â€" a designation for soldiers at high risk of suicide or causing accidents, which precludes them from serving at "heavily guarded outposts," according to the AP. Yim's status was improved to "grade B" in November 2013.
Military service in South Korea is compulsory for men from ages 18 to 38. Most stints last around two years.
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