S. Korea Soldier Who Killed 5 Captured

A South Korean soldier who fled after allegedly killing five colleagues at a remote border outpost was captured today following an unsuccessful suicide attempt, the country's defense ministry says. The 22-year-old sergeant surnamed Yim shot himself on the side of his abdomen but failed to kill himself and was taken to a nearby hospital, a ministry official says. There had been a massive manhunt for Yim since authorities said he killed five and wounded seven Saturday night before fleeing his frontline unit with his standard issue K2 assault rifle.

He also fired on the troops chasing him yesterday, injuring a platoon leader. Earlier today, officials said a South Korean soldier was wounded by suspected friendly fire. At one point, troops surrounded him so closely in the forest that they could toss him a mobile phone to talk to his father as well as bread and bottled water. It wasn't clear what triggered the rampage, and there was no indication that North Korea was involved. Yim was scheduled to complete his nearly two years of mandatory military service in September. (More South Korea stories.)