Sexual Assault? False Accusation? ... Controversy Over Alleged Sexual Assault by Police Protecting North Korean Defectors

North Korean Defector Woman Accuses Police Officer of Sexual Assault
Police Officer Countersues for False Accusation

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] A police officer accused of sexually assaulting a North Korean defector woman has counter-sued the woman who filed the complaint against him for false accusation and other charges. As the police officer denied the sexual assault allegations, the case has escalated into a battle over the truth.

According to the legal community on the 2nd, Sergeant A, affiliated with the Seocho Police Station in Seoul, filed a complaint with the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on the 30th of last month against Ms. B, a North Korean defector woman who accused him of sexual assault, on charges of defamation by false facts and false accusation.

Earlier, on the 28th of last month, Ms. B submitted a complaint to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office accusing Sergeant A of raping her at least 11 times over a period of one year and seven months starting from May 2016, charging him with rape, quasi-rape, and sexual coercion through abuse of authority.

However, Sergeant A is known to claim that the sexual relations with Ms. B were not sexual assaults but developed into a private relationship.

There are also allegations of delayed police investigation. Ms. B reportedly informed the Security Division and the Inspection and Audit Office of Seocho Police Station from March 2018 and sought help, but no proper measures were taken. Sergeant A worked in the Security Division handling North Korean defector protection from 2010 to 2018. After transferring to the Investigation Department's Economic Team, he was placed on standby only at the end of June, when this issue surfaced.

Ms. Jeon Su-mi, legal representative from the Good Lawyers Public Interest Whistleblower Center, stated, "This is an inhumane case where a socially vulnerable North Korean defector woman, who has no place to rely on or escape to in our country, was subjected to long-term sexual exploitation by someone abusing public authority. The victim repeatedly informed the perpetrator’s superiors and police officers responsible for protection but the police took no action and condoned the behavior."

Meanwhile, the case has been assigned to the Women and Children Crime Investigation Division (Chief Prosecutor Yoo Hyun-jung) of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency is conducting an internal investigation into Sergeant A.

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