Arrest Made 79 Days After Sexual Harassment Incident
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jin-ho] A non-commissioned officer (sergeant) accused of sexually harassing a deceased female navy sergeant was detained on the 14th.
The Navy Military Court announced that it conducted a warrant hearing for Sergeant A, who belongs to a certain unit at the 2nd Fleet Command in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, and issued an arrest warrant on charges of sexual assault against a military personnel.
Sergeant A is currently held in the fleet's detention facility. A Navy official stated, "We will conduct a thorough investigation while the suspect is in custody." The arrest of Sergeant A came 79 days after the sexual harassment incident occurred. It has been 5 days since the military officially launched the investigation on the 9th.
Sergeant A, who belongs to a unit in a remote island area of Incheon, is accused of making physical contact, including saying "I will read your palm," to a junior female sergeant from the same unit at a civilian restaurant on May 27.
The victim initially reported the incident to her superior, the chief sergeant, but changed her mind and filed an official report only on the 9th, more than two months later. Following this, the Navy Military Police began an investigation and on the 11th booked Sergeant A on charges of sexual assault against a military personnel.
This case has raised suspicions of secondary victimization because the victim, who initially did not want to file an official report immediately after the sexual harassment at the end of May, later decided to do so. Ha Tae-kyung, a member of the People Power Party, revealed text messages exchanged between the victim and her family before her death, stating that the victim experienced stress due to workplace ostracism and exclusion from duties by Sergeant A while continuing to work in the same unit without separation after the harassment.
Meanwhile, President Moon Jae-in instructed the Ministry of National Defense on the previous day to "conduct a thorough and strict investigation without any suspicion" regarding the death of the female navy non-commissioned officer who was a victim of sexual harassment. It is reported that President Moon was enraged by the occurrence of a similar incident in the navy following the Air Force case.
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