"You're Hurt Too..." Late Sergeant Lee Yeram's 'Secondary Harm' Lieutenant Also Sentenced to Prison in Second Trial

On the afternoon of the 13th, when the special investigation team led by An Mi-young, which investigated the death case of Air Force sexual assault victim Sergeant Lee Ye-ram, announced the investigation results, Lee's father, Lee Ju-wan, was touching a photo of his daughter at the funeral hall set up for Sergeant Lee at the Armed Forces Capital Hospital in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] In relation to the death of the late Sergeant Lee Yeram, an Air Force warrant officer who was charged with secondary harm to Sergeant Lee was sentenced to prison again in the appellate court.

On the morning of the 29th, the 10th Criminal Division of the Seoul High Court (Chief Judge Lee Jaehee) sentenced Warrant Officer Noh (53) to 2 years in prison, the same as the first trial.

The court stated, "The defendant exercised power without justifiable reason, making it difficult for the victim to officially report criminal cases," and added, "Neglecting the legal reporting duty and ignoring the victim's voice, the defendant failed to fulfill his responsibility as a department head. As a result, the victim, who believed that the sexual crime case would be handled procedurally, felt frustration and helplessness, ultimately leading to an extreme choice."

Furthermore, the court said, "He made an anachronistic judgment that incidents among members could be resolved internally without the will to protect sexual crime victims," and added, "The bereaved families are pleading for severe punishment, and the defendant has consistently denied the crime with implausible excuses up to this appeal."

Previously, Sergeant Lee, who belonged to the Air Force 20th Wing, reported being sexually harassed by a senior non-commissioned officer in March last year, but tragically took her own life on May 21 of the same year while the military prosecution investigation was ongoing.

Warrant Officer Noh was tried on charges including threatening Sergeant Lee not to report the incident by saying, "Punishment of others is inevitable, and everyone present will be harmed. You could also get hurt," after receiving a report of the forced molestation on March 3, the day after the sexual harassment incident last year.

However, the charge against Warrant Officer Noh himself for molesting the victim by putting his arm around her shoulder in July 2020 was judged not guilty due to insufficient evidence, both in the first trial and again in the second trial on this day.

On the 13th, Special Prosecutor Ahn Miyoung (56, Judicial Research and Training Institute class 25) and her team concluded that Sergeant Lee died after suffering secondary harm from her direct superiors following the sexual harassment incident. They confirmed the military’s inadequate investigation, cover-up, and defamation of Sergeant Lee by the Air Force, and brought to trial those related to the case who were not indicted in the Ministry of National Defense prosecution investigation. A total of seven people, including Air Force Headquarters Legal Affairs Director Jeon Iksoo (52, Brigadier General), five officers, one civilian employee, and the perpetrator Sergeant Jang, were indicted without detention.