[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The perpetrator was arrested only 10 days after a female Air Force non-commissioned officer who reported being sexually assaulted on the 21st of last month took an extreme measure.
According to the military on the 3rd, the Ministry of National Defense Military General Court issued an arrest warrant for Sergeant Jang on charges of sexual assault and injury against a soldier the previous night. The Ministry of National Defense prosecution's request for the arrest warrant, securing the suspect's custody, and the court's issuance of the warrant all proceeded smoothly on the same day. Notably, the arrest warrant was issued just 2 hours and 30 minutes after the warrant hearing began at 8 p.m. Sergeant Jang was detained in the Ministry of National Defense Detention Support Unit's detention facility.
The Air Force prosecution had delayed the investigation until the case was first reported in the media on the 31st of last month, when they finally conducted an investigation. At that time, public criticism intensified over the military's complacent response and attempts by superiors to cover up the incident following the female sergeant's extreme action. In response, Minister of National Defense Seo Wook instructed on the 1st at 7 p.m. to transfer the investigation authority from the Air Force to the Ministry of National Defense prosecution team.
Meanwhile, the Air Force Military Police reported the case as a ‘simple death’ to the Ministry of National Defense Investigation Headquarters on the 23rd of last month, the day after Sergeant Lee’s death. The report included only basic outlines such as the circumstances of the discovery of the deceased, on-site inspection results, autopsy, and funeral arrangements, but did not include any details of the victim’s sexual assault. A military official stated that in cases involving sexual violence, related information must be reported together upon death.
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