Military Intelligence Command Officers Who Sexually Assaulted North Korean Defector Women

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Sergeant A and Lieutenant Colonel B of the Republic of Korea Army Intelligence Command have been indicted on charges of sexually assaulting a North Korean defector woman.

According to the Ministry of National Defense Prosecutor's Office on the 1st, Sergeant A and Lieutenant Colonel B of the Army Intelligence Command were investigated for forcibly raping North Korean defector C, who was under official protection and supervision as a target of covert operations, between May 2018 and February of last year.

North Korean defector C crossed the Yalu River and defected 10 years ago. After receiving 12 weeks of training at Hanawon, she became a South Korean citizen, but intelligence officials approached her. They aimed to extract information about a North Korean weapons research institute by using C's younger sibling, who still remained in North Korea. However, the sibling was caught by the North Korean State Security Department and faced the threat of being sent to a political prison camp. C requested help from Sergeant A and Lieutenant Colonel B of the Army Intelligence Command, who had obtained the information.

But what she received in return was rape. In May 2018, she met Sergeant A of the Army Intelligence Command and confided in him over drinks. After the drinking session ended, she woke up in a motel. Lieutenant Colonel B assaulted C during an event where other North Korean defectors were introduced. As a result, C contracted a sexually transmitted disease and experienced two pregnancies and two abortion procedures. Sergeant A handed her 5 million won and demanded a settlement agreement. Shortly after, Sergeant A even demanded the return of the settlement money, claiming he had no living expenses.

Eventually, C directly contacted the police station and the Ministry of National Defense Help Call to report the incident. However, the only support she received came from a lawyer who was assisting North Korean defectors. Together with the lawyer, C filed a complaint with the military prosecutor's office in December 2019 against Sergeant A and Lieutenant Colonel B of the Army Intelligence Command on charges including forcible rape under the abuse of authority. Since being accused, the two have been excluded from their duties and have been under investigation. It is known that disciplinary procedures will be initiated once the court's verdict is finalized.

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