Public Defender's Side "Plans to Sue MBC Reporter and Others"

Citizens are visiting the condolence altar at the Armed Forces Capital Hospital in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, to pay their respects to the late Sergeant Lee, who endured sexual violence by a senior officer and attempts at persuasion within the Air Force before taking her own life on the 6th. / Seongnam = Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter]The public defender affiliated with the Air Force Legal Office has decided to sue journalists from media outlets. They claim that the 'personal information leak allegation' is groundless and that their reputation was damaged by the related reports.

Lee Dong-woo, the attorney representing Mr. A, a short-term legal officer of the Air Force Legal Office, stated on the 8th, "We plan to soon file a complaint with the civilian prosecution against the MBC reporter who reported that personal information of the deceased was leaked externally, as well as legal community figures mentioned in the article, for defamation due to spreading false information."

The previous day, MBC reported that they had obtained a complaint submitted by the family of Sergeant Lee to the Ministry of National Defense prosecution team, stating, "Mr. A committed the crime of leaking personal information to acquaintances after Sergeant Lee's extreme choice."

They also cited a legal community source saying, "After Sergeant Lee suffered sexual harassment, related information was heard from inside the Air Force Headquarters Legal Office," adding, "His name, affiliated unit, commissioning class, details of how the harassment occurred, and even photos circulated."

However, Mr. A's side maintains that this is "unfounded." Attorney Lee also conveyed that regarding the dereliction of duty charge mentioned in the complaint alongside the personal information leak allegation by the bereaved family, "We intend to actively clarify the matter as it is currently under prosecution investigation."