China News Service, July 9th, according to Korean media reports, the South Korean Ministry of National Defense Procuratorate released the preliminary investigation results of the Air Force sexual assault case on the 9th, saying that as of that day, 22 people involved had been filed and 10 of them had been prosecuted.
Ms. Lee of the South Korean Air Force’s 20th Combat Flying Regiment reported in March that she had been sexually assaulted by Air Force Sergeant Jang, and then committed suicide on May 22.
Lee Chenglong, chief of staff of the South Korean Air Force, took the blame and resigned on June 4.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in instructed investigative agencies to thoroughly investigate the case.
The investigation confirmed that the 20th Combat Flying Regiment of the Air Force and the Air Force Headquarters of Li's former unit had failed to investigate the case in an attempt to conceal the truth.
The head of the military police and the head of the Central Investigation Team discovered that Li was dead on May 22 and reported truthfully to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, but falsely reported it as an "accidental death" to the investigation headquarters of the Ministry of National Defense, and underreported Li's suffering. Infringing facts, the two people were prosecuted.
The Procuratorate of the Ministry of National Defense of South Korea will recommend the removal of 9 people including the commander of the Air Force’s 20th Combat Flight Regiment, and the commander of the Air Force Headquarters Military Police Regiment, who failed to report the fact of sexual assault, to be punished by the disciplinary committee.
The investigation also found that the protection mechanism for victims of sexual assault is full of loopholes.
After being sexually assaulted, Li requested to be transferred to the 15th Special Mission Flying Group. The facts of the sexual assault were clearly recorded in the documents.
However, after the incident, the military did not immediately take measures to separate the victim and the perpetrator.
At the same time, the investigation by the military procuratorate has also been revealed to have limitations. The military procurator has made no progress in the investigation of the Air Force Headquarters Legal Affairs Office, and the relevant personnel in the Legal Affairs Office are all subjects of investigation.
South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense Deputy Minister Park Jae-min apologized to Lee and his survivors before announcing the investigation results on July 9. The head of the Ministry of National Defense’s prosecution team, Choi Kwang-hyun, said that he would continue to investigate the incident and clarify all doubts.