South Korean armed service member arrested above suspected sexual abuse
03 June, 2021
An associate of the Southern Korean air force has been arrested on charges of sexually harassing and injuring a female colleague, which resulted in her taking her personal life, the defence ministry said on Thursday (Jun 3).
The master sergeant, only recognized by his surname Jang, is suspected of molesting the woman of the same rank in a car on their way back to their base in the western city of Seosan in March after a supper.
The victim, identified simply by her surname Lee, had experienced mental distress and transferred to another bottom at her request 8 weeks following the incident, her family said in a petition to the president over the court case.
She was found dead at her home on the bottom on May 22, leaving a video on her cellular phone of her death, the family said.
A military courtroom approved Jang's arrest on Wednesday on expenses of violating the Criminal Act by committing indecent acts by compulsion on an associate of the military and causing injury.
"He's detained after a hearing and a study can be underway," ministry spokesman Boo Seung-chan advised a briefing.
The spokesman gave forget about details about the case and did not say if the person had legal representation. Jang did not respond to reporters' issues as he was escorted to the armed service courtroom on Wednesday, the Yonhap information agency reported.
The case has triggered a public uproar since the woman's family filed a petition with the presidential Blue House on Tuesday calling for an intensive investigation and punishment for those involved.
A lot more than 318,000 people of the general public had signed the petition by Thursday morning.
The woman's family has accused the air force of trying to cover up the assault on the woman and silence her.
The air force "deeply acknowledged the gravity of the situation", a spokesman for the force, Choi Yoon-seok, said. He declined to touch upon the family's accusations, citing the investigation.
President Moon Jae-found in ordered an investigation to add how officials in control handled the circumstance, and he needed steps to prevent any more stigmatisation of Lee and her family group, his spokeswoman said.
The issue of sexual abuse in South Korea was thrown into the spotlight by the global #MeToo movement and many high-profile figures from various walks of existence have already been accused of sexual harassment and assault.
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