Top Korean soldier held for fraud

South Korea's military is ever alert to the threat of war

The military authorities in South Korea have arrested their top officer on the Korea-US Combined Forces Command on charges of embezzling army funds.

Shin Il-soon, a 57-year-old four-star general, was detained at a military jail after three days of interrogation by investigators.

Gen Shin denies the charges, saying the money missing was used for official parties and other army-related events.

He is the first serving general of his rank to be arrested for corruption.

He is second-in-command on the Combined Forces Command (CFC) to US Gen Leon LaPorte, who also commands the US military in South Korea and the UN Command overseeing the Korean War armistice.

The CFC is charged with defending South Korea against foreign attack and has nearly 700,000 Korean soldiers and 37,000 US troops at its disposal, facing North Korea's million-strong forces.

An unnamed officer at the South Korean defence ministry told Reuters news agency that Gen Shin was facing embezzlement charges "but no bribery charges".

The agency's sources added that the charges date back to 2000 when the general commanded South Korea's Third Army.