"Not funny? Get naked!" ... 20s man given suspended prison sentence for making junior soldier undress during 'sleep show'

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] A man in his 20s who forced a junior soldier to strip completely because he failed to make him laugh during military service was sentenced to a suspended prison term.

On the 14th, the Criminal Division 1 of the Western Branch of Busan District Court (Presiding Judge Lee Jin-hyuk) announced that university student A (23), who was tried on charges of forced sexual assault by a soldier and abuse of power, was sentenced to six months in prison with a one-year suspension. He was also ordered to attend 40 hours of sexual violence treatment lectures.

According to the court, A is accused of forcibly sexually assaulting and abusing junior soldiers in the barracks of a military unit in Inje-gun, Gangwon Province, in July 2020.

A created a so-called "bedtime show" time before lights out, during which he forced junior soldiers to try to make him laugh. If A judged that the attempt was not funny, as a punishment, he made the junior soldiers strip completely.

A also made the junior soldiers perform obstacle course exercises and, if they did not do them properly, punished them by forcing their heads into the ground or making them enter the storage lockers. He also forced them to inhale cigarette smoke by blowing smoke in front of their faces.

The court stated, "These acts infringe on the victims' sexual self-determination rights and undermine the sound order of the military organization, so the crime is not minor," but added, "The defendant has no prior criminal record and has reached an amicable agreement with the victims."