President Moon Approves Air Force Chief of Staff's Discharge... "Measures Will Be Taken If Misconduct Is Confirmed Later" (Comprehensive)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] President Moon Jae-in approved the discharge of Air Force Chief of Staff Lee Seong-yong, who tendered his resignation following the death of an Air Force sexual harassment victim.

Park Soo-hyun, Chief of Communication at the Blue House, stated in a briefing on the 10th, "President Moon approved the discharge of Chief Lee, who submitted his resignation on the 7th, effective immediately."

Chief Lee tendered his resignation to Defense Minister Seo Wook on the 7th and submitted a discharge application equivalent to a resignation to President Moon. With the president’s approval of the discharge on this day, Chief Lee became a civilian.

Chief Park explained the reason for the approval, saying, "For an active-duty soldier to be discharged as a member of the National Assembly, it is necessary to verify with the Board of Audit and Inspection, the Prosecutor’s Office, and investigative agencies whether there are any disciplinary issues or discharge restrictions. This process was followed, and it was confirmed that there were no procedural problems."

However, Chief Park added, "Regarding the death of the Air Force non-commissioned officer who was a victim of sexual harassment, the Ministry of National Defense’s audit so far has confirmed that there was no instruction from the Air Force Chief of Staff to downplay or conceal the incident," and stated, "If involvement is confirmed later, investigative agencies may take action."