Military Human Rights Center: "Unit Officers Accused of 'Superior Sexual Harassment' Attempted to Identify Whistleblower"

Asia Economy DB

[Asia Economy Reporter Shinwon Yoon] Allegations have arisen that male non-commissioned officers (NCOs) in an Army unit sexually harassed a male superior officer, and claims have been made that other NCOs defended the perpetrators while attempting to identify the whistleblowers.

The Military Human Rights Center, a military-related human rights organization, stated on the 28th, "After the report of the superior officer's forced sexual harassment incident at a certain battalion of the Army Missile Command, we confirmed circumstances indicating that other NCOs are collecting petitions to defend the perpetrators and trying to identify the whistleblowers."

According to the Army, on the early morning of the 29th of last month, four NCOs serving in an Army unit in Chungcheongbuk-do were booked and are under investigation for allegedly making inappropriate physical contact with a junior officer at a single officer dormitory.

The Center claimed, "Some officers in the unit have been collecting petitions for the perpetrators and are labeling those who do not participate as 'disloyal people' or suspecting them of being whistleblowers."

According to the Center, the perpetrators are one Sergeant and three Corporals.

The military police are also investigating allegations that these individuals abused their power over soldiers and fellow NCOs.

The Center explained, "They often gathered under the leadership of Sergeant A to drink alcohol, causing disturbances on base and forcing other officers to drink."

Furthermore, "These behaviors have continued since 2018, but no one stopped the Sergeant, and eventually, the situation escalated to the point of harassing a superior officer," emphasizing, "As a result of neglecting human rights violations for years, others began to condone such behavior, and the victims had no choice but to remain silent."

The Center demanded, "We call for a thorough unit inspection of the unit that defends the perpetrators and persecutes the victims and whistleblowers," and urged, "We strongly urge special measures to raise human rights sensitivity."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.