[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Four individuals, including the commander of the Air Force Military Police Group, who are suspected of falsely and downplaying reports to the Ministry of National Defense regarding the death of an Air Force sexual harassment victim, have been criminally charged for false reporting.
The Ministry of National Defense Prosecutor's Office announced on the 25th that four members of the Air Force Military Police Group, including its commander, have been charged with false reporting, and that a search and seizure operation was being conducted at the Military Police Group around 10 a.m. that day.
This appears to be a full-scale investigation following a request from the Ministry of National Defense Inspector General's Office into allegations that the Air Force Military Police Group downplayed the 'sexual harassment victim death case' in reports to the Ministry of National Defense.
The Ministry of National Defense Inspector General's Office requested an investigation from the Prosecutor's Office on the 23rd regarding the related allegations, following the recommendation of the Military Prosecutor's Investigation Review Committee.
During an on-site audit conducted since the 6th, the Inspector General's Office discovered that the Air Force Military Police Group omitted the crucial fact that the deceased, Sergeant Lee Mo, was a sexual harassment victim when reporting the case to the Ministry of National Defense Investigation Headquarters on the 23rd, the day after the victim was found dead.
In relation to this, the Korea Military Human Rights Center recently held a press conference claiming that "the commander of the Air Force Headquarters Military Police Group instructed the staff four times on the day of the report (May 23) to delete the fact that the deceased was a sexual harassment victim from the report."
Meanwhile, one investigator from the Air Force 20th Fighter Wing Military Police, who was responsible for the initial investigation of the Air Force sexual harassment victim death case, has also been reclassified as a suspect.
The Ministry of National Defense Investigation Headquarters stated, "One investigator from the 20th Fighter Wing Military Police has been criminally charged with dereliction of duty and reclassified as a suspect," and added, "Two other investigators will be referred to the disciplinary committee."
The Investigation Headquarters plans to report these details at the 4th meeting of the Military Prosecutor's Investigation Review Committee held in the afternoon and intends to transfer the individuals criminally charged to the Ministry of National Defense Prosecutor's Office as soon as possible.
The Investigation Headquarters had previously faced controversy for not charging any personnel until the day before, despite confirming inadequate investigation by the 20th Fighter Wing Military Police, who conducted the initial investigation related to this case.
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