‘New Recruit 4’ Revisits Real-Life 2011 Military Assault Case, Draws 4.9% Peak Rating
ENA’s hit military drama “New Recruit 4: Sabotage” has brought a shocking real-life incident from 15 years ago back into the spotlight.
The drama’s latest episode depicted soldiers being assaulted simply because they were wearing military uniforms, while their commanding officer responded by taking the drastic step of boycotting local businesses.
The episode struck a chord with viewers, recording a 4.4% nationwide rating and a peak minute-by-minute rating of 4.9%, marking the highest ratings of the series so far.
Soldiers Targeted During Their Time Off
Episode 6, which aired on September 8, first focused on the strained relationship between Park Min-seok (Kim Min-ho) and Kim Hyun-wook (Lee Won-jung).
After reading Min-seok’s diary, Hyun-wook discovers how much his fellow soldier missed and appreciated him. With fellow soldier Jo Baek-ho (Oh Dae-hwan) stepping in to mediate, the two finally confront their emotional wounds and reconcile over a warm bowl of ramen.
The heartwarming moment, however, was quickly followed by a much darker incident.
While on group leave, the soldiers of the 3rd Barracks encounter a group of troubled teenagers. After being mocked for “smelling like soldiers,” the situation escalates when several high school boys join in and demand money from them.
Senior soldier Kang Chan-seok (Lee Jung-hyun) sends his juniors away and remains behind, eventually handing over 50,000 won in an attempt to end the confrontation.
Instead, the teenagers mock him, tear up a group photograph of the soldiers and launch a brutal physical attack.
Police Treat the Incident as Mutual Assault
What happened afterward angered the soldiers even further.
According to the episode, police treated the incident as a case of mutual assault, while representatives of the local business community allegedly attempted to settle the matter over drinks rather than properly addressing what had happened.
The soldiers, who had been targeted while simply wearing their uniforms, were left feeling that they were being treated unfairly.
Their commanding officer, Byeon Hyeok-jin (Lee Hyun-kyun), eventually loses his patience.
“I can no longer tolerate soldiers being treated worse than stray dogs in this town,” he says in the episode.
He then orders a complete suspension of off-base outings and overnight leave for the entire battalion. Soldiers are also required to attach any trips outside the designated military area to their official vacation time.
The move effectively amounts to a boycott of the local commercial district, sending shockwaves through the community.
Based on a Real Incident in Yanggu
Although the events shown in the drama are fictionalized, the episode appears to draw heavily from a real incident that occurred in Yanggu, Gangwon Province, in March 2011.
At the time, a group of approximately 10 high school students reportedly assaulted two soldiers who were out on overnight leave in downtown Yanggu.
The situation became even more controversial when police and local merchants allegedly attempted to resolve the incident through a settlement.
In response, the commanding general of the soldiers’ division reportedly imposed a sweeping ban on outings and overnight leave for troops stationed in the area.
Vacation-return buses were also reportedly directed to travel straight into the military base rather than stopping in the local commercial district.
The resulting loss of military customers reportedly dealt a significant blow to businesses in Yanggu, turning the incident into one of the most widely remembered examples of tension between military communities and local businesses.
Viewers Praise the Drama’s Realistic Approach
By revisiting the incident, “New Recruit 4: Sabotage” has sparked renewed discussion about how soldiers were treated in areas heavily dependent on military personnel.
The episode particularly resonated with viewers because it portrayed the soldiers not simply as members of the military, but as individuals who could also become vulnerable to injustice and social prejudice while off duty.
Meanwhile, the episode ended on another unexpected twist.
Jeon Woo-joo (Han Ga-in), the older sister of Jeon Se-gye (Kim Dong-jun), suddenly appeared at the military guard post, leaving the entire unit in chaos and raising questions about what will happen next.
With its combination of comedy, military life and real-world social issues, “New Recruit 4” continues to attract attention as the series moves toward its next chapter.