"Repeated Sexual Harassment and Assault of Junior Soldier... Serious Crime Nature" Suspended Prison Sentence for 20s

A man in his 20s who assaulted and subjected a junior soldier to harsh treatment during his service in the Marine Corps was sentenced to a suspended prison term.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Bong-ju] A man in his 20s who assaulted a junior soldier and committed abusive acts while serving in the Marine Corps was sentenced to a suspended prison term.

According to the Daegu District Court on the 21st, the Criminal Division 1 of the Pohang Branch (Presiding Judge Lim Young-cheol) sentenced A (21), who was charged with forced sexual assault of a soldier, abuse of power, assault, and insult, to 10 months in prison with a 2-year suspension. Additionally, he was ordered to complete 80 hours of community service and attend 40 hours of sexual violence treatment lectures.

A was charged with spraying cold water on the genital area of a junior soldier for more than 30 seconds while showering in the shower room of a Marine Corps unit in January 2019, and when the junior soldier tried to avoid it, saying "Don't run away," he sprayed cold water again.

From January to April of the same year, he forced a non-smoker junior soldier to smoke cigarettes, saying he was in a bad mood after arguing with his girlfriend.

A is also accused of hitting the back of the head and cheeks of the junior soldier dozens of times, claiming that the junior soldier often made mistakes during duty or could not properly remember the senior soldier's rank and name.

He is also charged with insulting a junior soldier who entered the military late after retaking the exam for a year by saying, "Your face is trash, and your life is trash."

The defendant stated, "I sprayed water on the stomach area, not the genital area, and did not force him to smoke. I only hit the back of the head, not the cheeks."

The court ruled, "Although the defendant claims to have sprayed water on the stomach area, considering the circumstances of the incident, it is highly likely that water was sprayed toward the genital area. Continuously spraying water on the genital area despite expressing refusal constitutes an infringement of sexual freedom and qualifies as sexual assault."

It added, "Using his position in the military to repeatedly commit crimes against a junior soldier over a considerable period is a serious offense."

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