US Army Sgt. Fernando Nino and Sgt. Mark Walker were cleared of any wrong-doing by a US Army military court in the death of two Korean kids. The two young girls were run down by an armored vehicle manned by the two American servicemen late last year. Since the incident, the two Americans had to endure constant fear of bodily harms by angy Koreans and were confined to the army base.
Korean-Americans Raise Money for the Killers of Two Korean Kids
11/24/2002
12:00 am
Photo: Koreans handing money to Walker’s sister Lynn Samples (center)
US Army Sgt. Fernando Nino and Sgt. Mark Walker were cleared of any wrong-doing by a US Army military court in the death of two Korean kids. The two young girls were run down by an armored vehicle manned by the two American servicemen late last year. Since the incident, the two Americans had to endure constant fear of bodily harms by angy Koreans and were confined to the army base.
Soon after the acquittal by the all-military jury, the men secretly left Korea for an unknown destination. The 36-year old Walker phoned his sister Lynn Samples (age 51) in Acworth, GA, soon after the trial on October 22nd, and told her that he would be getting out of Korea soon. Lynn told the Atlanta Journal Constitution that she had no doubt of her brother’s acquittal but had not expected it to come so soon, and that she would love to have her brother back home for Thanksgiving.
Sgt. Walker hired a civilian attorney Guy Womack from Houston to defend him in the court and ran up a legal fee of more than $27,000. His family, neighbors, and friends have raised so far less than $2,000 to help pay the legal fee.
In the United States, the trial of the two servicemen is being viewed by many as politically motivated by a small group of anti-US Korean activists. This view is also shared by some Korean-Americans as well. For example, a group of Koreans calling themselves “Good Neighbors” (http://www.goodneighboring.org) have raised money for Sgt. Walker.
The Korean group is led by Sunny Park (60, Park Sun Gun is his real name), who told Walker’s sister that: “We Korean-Americans are your neighbors. We have collected some money for you as a small token of our friendship to our neighbors in trouble. Please convey our friendship to your brother.” Walker’s sister Lynn Samples replied: “I have been praying for my brother but have never dreamed that I would get any help from any Korean.” She said that she had received money from other Koreans as well.
Sunny Park told the Korean News that “We don’t want Sgt. Walker ending up a sacrificial lamb of anti-US sentiments in Korea and hope that he would get a fair trial for the traffic accident.”
Walker’s defense attorney Womack echoed Park’s sentiment and claimed that Walker’s trial was politically motivated on account of the anti-US demonstrators in South Korea. Womack told the Marietta Daily Journal that: “The ongoing demonstrations are the main reason why the case is going to trial. My suspicion is that because of the political climate in Korea, the commanding general for the second infantry division decided to take this to trail.”
Sue Vogan has been raising money for Walker’s legal fees. Sue said: “They have been cleared by an Article 32 investigation and by South Korean police, but protesters in South Korea have forced the military to cave in and take this case to trial. If it weren’t for the protests, I don’t think this would be a big deal.” Sue said that she heard about the trial from her husband who is stationed in Korea.
During Walker’s trial on October 21st and 22nd, Womack defended Walker fiercely and put the inept Army prosecutors on the defensive. The so-called prosecutors were defenseless under Womack’s sharp verbal attacks. The jury was more impressed by Womack’s rhetoric than with the fumbling, cowering prosecutors. To add insult to injury, a Korean government observer at the trial stated that “the trial was fair,” apparently reflecting the ‘official’ sentiment of Kim Dae Jung, so-called “President of Korea.”
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