Army serviceman attempts suicide in border area

SEOUL, March 11 (Yonhap) - A noncommissioned Army officer was seriously injured in a suspected suicide attempt near the heavily fortified border with North Korea on Friday, a military official said.

The sergeant first class, whose identification was withheld, shot himself at around 10:00 a.m. at his place of duty in Yeoncheon, located midway along the Demilitarized Zone which separates the two Koreas, the official said.

He was rushed to a nearby hospital, but his injury is not life-threatening, according to the official who asked not to be named.

The military is investigating the motive of the incident although "the sergeant first class appears to have attempted suicide," he said.

On Wednesday, another soldier, an Army officer, was found dead in the area in what was suspected to be a suicide by pistol.

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