Police Officer in Charge of Protecting North Korean Defectors Accused of Sexual Assault Against Defector Woman... "Delayed Investigation"

by Lee Jungyun

Published 28 Jul.2020 14:10(KST)

Updated 28 Jul.2020 15:05(KST)

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[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] A police officer in charge of North Korean defector-related affairs has been accused of sexually assaulting a North Korean defector woman over a long period.

On the afternoon of the 28th, lawyer Jeon Su-mi of the Good Lawyers Public Interest Reporting Center announced plans to file a complaint with the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on behalf of the victim against active-duty police officer A, who allegedly sexually assaulted a North Korean defector woman over an extended period, charging him with rape, quasi-rape, and sexual coercion using official authority.

According to lawyer Jeon, Officer A, while working as a personal protection officer for North Korean defectors, approached the victim under the pretext of gathering information related to North Korea and allegedly raped her 12 times over 19 months starting from May 2016. Additionally, it was claimed that the victim reported the sexual assault to the Security Division and the Audit and Inspection Office of the Seocho Police Station from March 2018 and sought help, but no proper measures were taken.

Lawyer Jeon explained the reason for the complaint, stating, "This case is an inhumane incident where a North Korean defector woman, a socially vulnerable person with nowhere to rely on or escape to in our country, was sexually exploited over a long period by someone abusing public authority. The victim repeatedly informed the perpetrator’s superiors and protection officers, as well as the police, about the assault and requested help, but the police took no action and tacitly allowed it."

Officer A was reportedly assigned to the Security Division of Seocho Police Station and handled North Korean defector-related duties from 2010 to 2018.