South Korea: a general degraded for covering up a sexual assault

More than a year after the suicide of a South Korean air force sergeant whose sexual assault complaint remained unanswered, justice ruled Saturday, November 26 on the responsibility of the army .

© South Korean Ministry of Defense via AP

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1 min

More than a year after the suicide of a South Korean air force sergeant whose sexual assault complaint remained unanswered, justice ruled Saturday, November 26 on the responsibility of the army .

The general who covered up the attack was degraded and removed from his post, an extremely rare sanction in the country.

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With our correspondent in Seoul,

Degradation from brigadier general to colonel and end of service, this is the sentence that strikes today Jeon Ik-soo, in charge of the legal office of the South Korean Air Force.

The soldier is found responsible for having neglected and stifled a complaint of sexual assault.

An unusual disciplinary sanction in the country, the last case dates from 1979 during a coup when South Korea was still a dictatorship.

A rare sentence that shows the importance given to this case of sexual assault.

A country in shock

In May 2021, Sergeant Lee Ye-ram ends her life in her barracks.

In a testimony left before her suicide, she explained the disinterest of the military administration for her complaint and the harassment she suffered after filing it.

A story that deeply shocked the country and revealed a major flaw in the army, but which is unfortunately not exceptional.

Since the death of Sergeant Lee, two other similar cases have been identified, one of which also ended in tragedy.

The strong emotion aroused by these cases has prompted numerous investigations, of which today's sanction is one of the consequences.

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