Two Non-Commissioned Officers Relieved of Duty in Connection with Female Sergeant's Death

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Two Air Force non-commissioned officers (NCOs) related to the death of Staff Sergeant Lee have been relieved of their duties.

On the 3rd, the Air Force stated, "Regarding the death case of the female Air Force sergeant who was a victim of sexual harassment, two NCOs from the relevant unit were relieved of their duties as of 3:30 PM today."

The two NCOs are those additionally accused by the bereaved family. They are the superior and warrant officer who first received the report that Sergeant Lee was sexually harassed inside a vehicle.

Kim Jeong-hwan, the lawyer representing the bereaved family, submitted a complaint to the Ministry of National Defense Prosecutor's Office in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, saying, "The key point is to identify who the secondary perpetrators are, so we have initially filed complaints against three additional individuals. One of the NCOs at the center of the cover-up directly sexually assaulted the victim, so we are submitting a complaint regarding that part."

Meanwhile, regarding criticisms that the Ministry of National Defense's investigation is insufficient, Lawyer Kim said, "The bereaved family's position is that they trust and hope the military will resolve this case on its own," adding, "Regarding that point, the official stance of the bereaved family and legal team is to trust the military prosecution and hope the investigation is conducted transparently for now."