In relation to the death of a navy female soldier who reported sexual harassment, it was understood that Defense Minister Seo Wook received the first report only after the victim's death.
The military explanation is that the escalation report was delayed because the victim did not want to 'leave outside', but as a result, it seems difficult to avoid criticism that the report manual has a hole.
According to a navy official today (13th), Defense Minister Seo Wook was the first to receive a report of a sexual harassment case after the victim was found dead yesterday afternoon.
It has been three days since the 9th day when the case was officially reported, but 77 days from the date of sexual harassment (May 27th).
The Navy explained that the victim did not initially want to report, but on August 7, two months later, requested an interview with the unit commander and reported the damage.
The unit commander reported to the 2nd Fleet on the 9th, and on the same day, a report was also made to the Fleet Military Police and the Naval Operations Command and the Gender Equality Center of the Naval Headquarters.
On the 11th, the Naval Headquarters Military Police reported to Chief of Staff Buseok-jong and the Ministry of National Defense Investigation Headquarters respectively, but it was found that the investigation headquarters did not report to the Minister at the time.
However, the next day, yesterday, when Sergeant A was found dead, the military explained that the deputy chief recognized the command by reporting to Minister Seo.
As the upper-level report was made late, it is pointed out that the protection of victims for the past two months has not been done properly.
A navy official suggested that there were loopholes in the manual, saying, "According to the law, if an incident of sexual harassment occurs (immediate recognition), it is to be reported.
In fact, on May 27, Sergeant A only notified the chief of staff of the damage, and it has been identified that the perpetrators were not separated for about two months before the decision was made to formally report them.
The Ministry of National Defense Investigation Headquarters and the Navy's Central Investigation Team, which started a joint investigation, are speeding up the investigation into whether there is secondary damage while applying for an arrest warrant for the perpetrator of sexual harassment.
Yesterday, I applied for an arrest warrant for the perpetrator B, and an interrogation of the suspect (warrant substantive examination) is scheduled to take place today.
In addition, it is known that the victim, who did not want to report the damage at the beginning, is focusing on investigating what happened before the victim requested an interview again on August 7.
It was investigated that Navy Sergeant A, who was serving in an island unit in Incheon, was sexually harassed by Sergeant B at a private restaurant on May 27.
Immediately after the incident, I reported the damage to my superior, but did not report it formally. On the 7th, I reported the damage again in an interview with the commander of the unit. Two days later, at the request of the victim, the incident was officially reported. was dispatched to
However, he was found dead at his dormitory yesterday, three days after being exclusive to the unit, and military authorities estimate that he has made an extreme choice by himself so far.
The military authorities tried to conduct an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death, but it is known that the funeral is being discussed with the navy in hopes that the bereaved family will hold a funeral without an autopsy.
(Photo = Yonhap News)