It was later confirmed that the non-commissioned officer who suffered sexual harassment in the army tried to make an extreme choice.
In particular, it is pointed out that it is a similar case to the death of a non-commissioned officer who was sexually assaulted by the Air Force and Navy, as there were no appropriate perpetrator-victim separation measures, and there were claims that there was a second offense.
Controversy over the appropriateness of the incident is also raised over the fact that the law office of the unit in question filed a criminal complaint after reporting sexual harassment by the victim in August last year and took disciplinary action without proceeding with the investigation.
Today (24th), according to the Army and the victim's side, Army Sgt. A, who was commissioned in April last year, immediately after being assigned to the unit, received an offer from Sergeant B, his direct superior, to 'Let's date' and refused, but he continued to be stalked and sexually assaulted.
In August of the same year, with the help of another senior, he reported it to the unit, and it is known that Sergeant B was discharged immediately after receiving disciplinary dismissal in early September of the same year.
The victim claims that the response of the unit and the division's legal office was inappropriate during this process.
Petitioner C, the older sister of the victim, said in a post on the bulletin board of the Blue House petition on the 20th, "In the course of the investigation of the case, there was conciliation and an agreement to prevent the report, and appropriate separation measures were not taken." There was, and in the end, I chose to transfer the unit, but [the situation] did not improve.”
"My younger brother, who was healthy, has been in pain for over a year with frequent fainting, vomiting, bleeding, hair loss, insomnia, and panic caused by stress." “, he added.
In particular, the victim's position is that the problem is that the division's legal office classified cases that should be handled under the Military Criminal Act as general disciplinary cases and that Sergeant B was discharged without criminal punishment.
Regarding this, an army official said, "After receiving the case last year, the victim's intention to file a criminal complaint was not confirmed, so the disciplinary process began quickly. I understand that the report was made the very next day,” he explained.
However, there is criticism that the army's explanation is poor in that the victim's report itself can be regarded as an intention to sue.
Meanwhile, Sergeant A's side is said to have re-reported the incident in June, during the special reporting period for the Ministry of National Defense, which was conducted in the wake of the death of a victim of sexual harassment in the Air Force.
The Army said that the Army Central Investigation Team was investigating the appropriateness of the handling process for those involved in the military investigation in charge of the case at the time.
An army official said, "The investigation into those involved in the second perpetrator is currently under way at the local corps, but considering the victim's will, we are also considering adjusting the jurisdiction." In order to protect the victims, the division's gender equality counselors are taking action according to the wishes of the victims, such as continuously providing assistance in connection with the commander and the Army's Gender Equality Center."