[1] The meaning of “self-injury” under Article 4(6)4 of the Act on the Honorable Treatment and Support of Persons, etc. of Distinguished Service to the State, which excludes persons who have rendered distinguished service to the State in cases where a person died due to self-injury, and the standard for determining whether suicide resulted from a soldier’s direct motive or important cause of stress during his/her duty is free.

[2] In a case where Gap, who was on duty as a combat police officer, was killed in the military, committed suicide in the military, the case holding that the judgment below erred by misapprehending the legal principles on the judgment below which judged otherwise and failing to exhaust all necessary deliberations, on the ground that it was difficult to view that Gap's suicide was committed while free will was completely ruled out due to depression, since it was limited to the remaining free will of his own, which was not properly adapted to the military life

[1] Article 4 (6) 4 of the Act on the Honorable Treatment and Support of Persons, etc. of Distinguished Service to the State / [2] Article 4 (6) 4 of the Act on the Honorable Treatment and Support

[1] Supreme Court Decision 2002Du4136 Decided November 14, 2003, Supreme Court Decision 2004Du7702 Decided October 27, 2004, Supreme Court Decision 2005Du14578 Decided September 14, 2006 (Gong2006Ha, 1755)

Plaintiff (Attorney Park Young-young, Counsel for the plaintiff-appellant)

Head of Suwon Veterans Branch Office

Seoul High Court Decision 2009Nu39249 decided June 29, 2010

The judgment below is reversed and the case is remanded to Seoul High Court.

The grounds of appeal are examined.

1. Article 4(1)5 of the Act on the Honorable Treatment and Support of Persons, etc. of Distinguished Service to the State (hereinafter “Act”) provides that a soldier who died while performing his/her duty (including a person who died of a disease caused by official duty) and his/her bereaved family members, etc. shall be entitled to honorable treatment as persons of distinguished service to the State. Meanwhile, Article 4(6)4 of the same Act provides that where a person who meets the above requirements for a person of distinguished service to the State dies due to self-injury, the person shall be excluded from persons of distinguished service to the State. Here, the term “self-injury” refers to death according to free will in terms of his/her historical sense. In light of the purport of the Act aimed at promoting the stability of livelihood and improvement of welfare of the persons of distinguished service to the State and their bereaved family members and contributing to the cultivation of national patriotism, and the legislative form thereof, etc., the determination of whether a soldier’s suicide was committed directly or seriously due to stressed by stress during his/her duty and his/her family members’ age 20 years and age.

2. 원심판결 이유에 의하면, 원심은 그 채용증거들을 종합하여 망인은 1984. 10. 23.생으로 ○○대학교 1학년 재학 중 휴학하고, 2004. 6. 8. 102보충대대에 입대하여 같은 달 15. 육군 제15사단 신병교육대에 전속되어 신병훈련을 받은 사실, 망인의 군입대 전 병무청이 2003. 9. 15. 망인에 대하여 실시한 신체검사 중 인성검사에서 망인은 정상판정을 받았으나, 신병훈련기간 중 실시된 SCL-90-R(간이정신진단, 9개 증상차원의 척도가 70점 이상일 경우 이상자로 분류됨) 결과 망인은 7개 항목에서 70점 이상의 높은 수치를 나타냈으며, 그림을 통한 인성검사에서 타인의 접근을 회피하고 대화를 거부하는 것으로 나타난 사실, 망인은 2004. 7. 30. △△경찰서에 타격대 전투경찰로 배치되었는데, 당시 위 경찰서의 전·의경은 모두 16명으로, 망인은 16번째 서열로 제일 막내였던 사실, 망인은 2004. 8. 1.부터 근무를 시작하여 사망 전날인 같은 해 8. 10.까지 총 90시간(하루 평균 9시간) 정문 근무를 하였고, 정문 근무는 2시간 근무 후 4시간 휴식임에도 불구하고 망인은 계속하여 4시간 혹은 8시간 동안 근무한 적도 있는 사실, 망인은 신임대원으로서 직원 인적사항, 직원 얼굴, 차량번호, 민원인 출입시 과·계 전화번호, 대원들 간의 이름과 계급, 5분 타격대 임무시 무전약호, 출동시 행동조치 요령 등 A4 용지 3～4장 정도의 분량을 암기하여야 했던 사실, 망인은 아침 6:00에 기상하여 서장 관사에 신문을 배달하고, 정문 앞 청소, 고참 구두닦기, 걸레와 수건 세탁하기, 물 끓이기, 재떨이 비우기, 침구류 정리, 식기 닦기, 청소, 화장지 보충, 라면 끓이기 등의 업무를 근무시간 중간에 짬을 내어 했으며, 위와 같은 업무를 수행하느라 제대로 쉴 수 없어 정신적·육체적으로 피곤한 상태였던 사실, 망인은 2004. 8. 5. 정문 근무시 경찰서장으로부터 수신호(차량 유도)를 못했다는 지적을 받은 사실, 망인은 2004. 8. 11. 사건 당일 09:00부터 10:00까지 정문 초소 근무를 마친 후 소외 1로부터 30분간 질책을 받았고, 같은 날 10:35경 수경 소외 2를 깨웠을 때, 소외 2로부터 심한 욕설을 들은 사실, 망인은 2004. 8. 11. 11:20경 △△경찰서 내 주차장 뒤에 있는 약 2m 40㎝ 높이의 철제구조물 파이프에 전투화 끈을 이용하여 목을 매어 자살한 사실을 인정한 다음, 망인은 엄격한 통제와 단체행동이 요구되는 군 생활을 하게 되면서 생활의 변화를 겪고, △△경찰서로 전입된 이후 신임대원으로서 근무를 위한 적응과 준비도 제대로 하지 못한 채 근무에 투입되었으며, 근무기간 내내 과도한 업무로 인하여 휴식이 부족한 상태에서 긴장이 연속된 생활을 하여야 했고, 선임대원들로부터 질책과 지적을 받아 사회적 지지가 결여된 상태에 놓이게 되었음을 알 수 있고, 여기에 망인은 입대 전에는 우울증의 증상이 전혀 나타나지 않았던 점, 망인에게 우울증이 발생할 만한 다른 원인이나 자살을 할 만한 다른 이유가 있었음을 인정할 아무런 자료가 없는 점 등을 보태어 보면, 위와 같은 생활의 변화와 사회적 지지의 결여로 망인은 견디기 힘들 정도의 극심한 정신적 스트레스를 받아 군 생활 중 우울증이 발생 내지 악화되었고, 이에 대한 효과적인 치료 및 관리를 받지 못한 결과 우울증의 정신병적 증상이 발현되어 현실판단능력을 상실한 상태에서 망인이 자살에 이르렀다고 추단되므로, 망인의 사망은 공무상의 질병에 해당하는 우울증의 발현에 기한 것으로서 공무와 사이에 상당인과관계가 있다 할 것이고 또한 망인의 자살은 위 우울증으로 인하여 정상적이고 자유로운 의지의 범위를 벗어난 상태에서 이루어진 것으로서 법 제4조 제6항 제4호 소정의 ‘자해행위로 인한 사망’에 해당한다고 볼 수 없고, 결국 망인의 사망은 법 제4조 제1항 제5호 소정의 ‘군인이나 경찰공무원으로서 직무수행 중 사망한 경우’에 해당하고, 이와 다른 전제에서 한 이 사건 처분은 위법하다고 판단하였다.

3. However, we cannot agree with the above determination by the court below for the following reasons.

Examining the facts acknowledged by the court below in light of the legal principles as seen earlier, it cannot be denied that the deceased’s new duties were stressed on the deceased, and that the above stress was the motive and cause for the deceased to make a suicide resolution. However, it is difficult to readily conclude that the deceased’s duties were excessive to the extent that the deceased could not have a sense of mind or stress. Even if the quality of the deceased’s duties and appointed soldiers caused excessive tensions or stress on the deceased, it cannot be readily concluded that the deceased could have a degree of harm to the deceased’s life caused a depression, and the deceased’s age and character, the deceased’s age and character, the content and degree of the deceased’s duties, the surrounding circumstances surrounding the deceased’s suicide, the physical and mental psychological situation at the time of his suicide, and the period of duty performance, etc., the deceased’s suicide was committed according to his free will, and it is difficult to view that the deceased’s suicide was committed in a state where free will was completely excluded from suicide due to depression.

Therefore, the court below should have deliberated more closely on whether the suicide of the deceased was caused or aggravated based on the results of the appraisal of a simple spirit and a personality test conducted during the period for a new illness training, rather than on the basis of the results of the appraisal of the deceased’s personality test, and should have judged whether the suicide was caused by the military register of depression or by the normal and free will of the deceased, even if the depression was caused to the deceased in light of the general process and symptoms of the depression and the symptoms.

Therefore, the court below did not reach this and determined that the suicide of the deceased was not based on the free will of the deceased. The court below erred by misapprehending the legal principles as to the meaning of self-injury as stipulated in Article 4(6)4 of the Act, and failing to exhaust all necessary deliberations. The ground of appeal assigning this error is with merit.

4. Therefore, the lower judgment is reversed, and the case is remanded to the lower court for further proceedings consistent with this Opinion. It is so decided as per Disposition by the assent of all participating Justices on the bench.

Justices Ahn Dai-hee (Presiding Justice)