An Air Force corporal, who was on vacation, wanted to see his girlfriend and left the country without permission.

An active-duty soldier from the air force unit in North Chungcheong Province left the country without returning from his vacation, prompting the military to try to locate him.

There are many cases of active-duty soldiers leaving the country while on vacation, but there are no cases of soldiers leaving the country without returning from their vacation. This Air Force corporal stated that he had left the country without permission because he missed his girlfriend too much.

According to the Air Force on October 20th, a corporal of the 6th Exploration and Rescue Flight Squadron left the country without permission through Incheon International Airport on October 15th. This corporal, who was on vacation for a doctor's visit on the 14th, had to return to the unit the next day after he finished his doctor's visit.

However, he reportedly broke away from his military duties to meet his girlfriend, who is staying abroad.

When the Corporal did not return, the unit reported to their superiors and confirmed that the Corporal had left the country. It was revealed that the Corporal had not obtained prior permission from the unit.

Under military regulations, soldiers must obtain approval from their commanders 15 days before leaving the country. The military mobilized military police to secure the Corporal's whereabouts. After getting in contact with him through his family, the Corporal returned to Korea five days after his departure.

The Corporal reportedly claimed that he left the country to meet his girlfriend.

The military police plan to investigate the Corporal on charges of desertion as soon as his testing for the COVID19 is completed.