Key Activities The Commission also closed an ex officio investigation initiated on November 29, 2018 of a soldier killed by gunshots at a guard post. On April 30, the Commission expressed an opinion to the ROK Army Chief of Staff calling for a single chain of command for all soldiers assigned to GPs, monitoring of personnel management, and greater oversight over the management of firearms. On November 19, the Commission decided to carry out an ex officio investigation to prevent young officers from dying due to intentional self-harm. The Commission noted that young officers had a higher mortality due to self-harm than NCOs, with 20 or so incidents occurring every year. Thus, the decision was made for an ex officio investigation of the legal office and personnel office of the National Defense Ministry and ROK military headquarters. To establish preventative measures, analysis was made of the causes behind young officers dying from intentional selfharm. Following an analysis of the causes of deaths, the Commission will review whether veteran compensation decisions were appropriate, and the final result will be announced following on-site inspections and consultation with experts. B. On-site Inspections In 2019, the Commission closed four on-site inspections carried over from the previous year, and initiated nine new ones. Visits were made to six police lockups to inspect physical examinations, overall facility environment including lockup size and toilet, medical services and meals. The Commission communicated the findings and an opinion to the police stations that were subject to inspection. From January 28 to August 21, the Commission visited ten correctional facilities to inspect prison cells, prison room, confinement cells, work spaces, and kitchen, and had in-depth interviews with 135 prisoners, including long-term prisoners (at least two years), prisoners who were detained in three or more facilities, prisoners who were detained for less than a month, female prisoners (if the prisoners had children with them, the children were interviewed too), and prisoners aged 65 or older. The findings, including problems identified during interviews, were communicated to the respective facilities, and some problems were resolved. The Commission also recommended that the Ministry of Justice make improvements to the facilities, practices, and institutions so that prisoners can be guaranteed their basic rights during times of severe heat and cold. 74