[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] It has been confirmed that another female Air Force sergeant also took an extreme measure before the case of the late Air Force Sergeant Lee Ye-ram, who made an extreme choice due to sexual harassment by a superior.
According to the Air Force on the 16th, female Sergeant A, belonging to the Air Force 8th Fighter Wing, was found dead at an off-base accommodation on May 11. This was ten days before the death of the late Sergeant Lee Ye-ram.
At that time, the Air Force investigative authorities closed Sergeant A’s case on June 10 as a ‘stress-induced extreme choice.’ However, during the subsequent investigation, the authorities became aware of the forced molestation by Warrant Officer Lee, who was 28 years older than Sergeant A.
The investigative authorities found that Warrant Officer Lee visited Sergeant A’s accommodation and its vicinity seven times and contacted her unrelated to work. They also confirmed that he forcibly molested Sergeant A twice in the unit’s situation room in March and April by pulling her cheek. Notably, he deleted black box footage showing him meeting Sergeant A in his car for 20 minutes on May 9, and on the day Sergeant A died, he made 23 phone calls starting 30 minutes before work hours and, together with the chief sergeant, broke into Sergeant A’s accommodation by removing the security window bars.
Ultimately, the Air Force prosecution indicted Warrant Officer Lee on charges of forced molestation only on October 14, five months after Sergeant A’s death. This has raised suspicions inside and outside the military that the case was concealed after President Moon Jae-in expressed ‘rage’ over the late Sergeant Lee’s case and Defense Minister Seo Wook issued a public apology.
In response, the Air Force stated, “After the death incident occurred, all possibilities regarding the cause of suicide, including forced molestation, were thoroughly investigated, and during the investigation process, it was sufficiently recognized as a death due to ‘work-related stress,’ and was handled according to related procedures.”
The Air Force also stated, “Regarding the ‘forced molestation,’ investigations have been continuously conducted since the death incident occurred, and the suspect was indicted on the 14th of last month; the trial is currently ongoing.”
※ If you have difficult feelings such as depression or know family or acquaintances experiencing such difficulties, you can receive 24-hour expert counseling at suicide prevention hotlines ☎1577-0199, Hope Phone ☎129, Life Phone ☎1588-9191, and Youth Phone ☎1388.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
