Air Force Faces 'Illegal Filming' Scandal... Military Human Rights Center: "NCO Illegally Filmed Multiple Female Soldiers"

Im Tae-hoon, Director of the Military Human Rights Center [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Following the death of a non-commissioned officer who was a victim of sexual harassment, another sexual crime has occurred in a different unit of the Air Force.

On the 2nd, the Military Human Rights Center held a press conference and announced, "An incident occurred at the Air Force 19th Fighter Wing where a sergeant belonging to the military police unlawfully entered a female soldiers' dormitory and conducted illegal filming."

According to the Center, Sergeant A was caught in the act last month while attempting to break into the female soldiers' dormitory. Forensic analysis of Sergeant A's USB and mobile phone revealed a large amount of illegal footage, and notably, folders labeled with the names of female soldiers contained organized footage. It has not yet been determined whether the footage was distributed.

Kim Sook-kyung, head of the Military Sexual Violence Counseling Center affiliated with the Military Human Rights Center, said, "There were multiple informants, and as of now, 5 to 6 victims have been identified, but it is suspected there may be more," adding, "Other female soldiers are trembling in fear, thinking they might also be victims."

The Air Force explained, "On the 4th of last month, one officer from the unit was caught on site for unlawfully entering a military residence on base, and during the investigation, photos and videos presumed to be illegal footage were identified stored on personal digital devices, and an investigation has been underway."

On the other hand, Lim Tae-hoon, director of the Center, stated, "Since the perpetrator currently belongs to the military police conducting the investigation of this case, the military police are protecting their own and have not detained him," emphasizing, "The perpetrator should be discharged from the military police and subjected to detention and investigation."

The Center urged for the immediate detention and investigation of the perpetrator and called for strict disciplinary action against those related to the military police unit who protected the perpetrator and neglected the victims. They also demanded that the case be transferred to a higher command for handling and that the military leadership be replaced.

The Air Force reported that General Lee Sung-yong, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, transferred the case to the Air Force Headquarters Central Investigation Unit at 4 p.m. on the same day, ordering a thorough investigation according to laws and regulations, and instructed strict punishment based on the investigation results.

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