Kwon In-sook Criticizes Military: "Despite Sexual Violence Incidents, 'Take Care of Your Body' Training... Separation Principle for Perpetrators Must Be More Refined"

Major Jang, who is accused of sexually harassing a female Air Force non-commissioned officer who died by suicide, is being escorted to the Military Court of the Ministry of National Defense on the evening of the 2nd for a detention warrant hearing.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Amid revelations of the military's systematic cover-up in the case of a female non-commissioned officer who died after sexual harassment, allegations have emerged that secondary victimization occurred within the military. Critics also pointed out that the closed nature of the military, such as the failure to uphold the principle of separating the victim and the perpetrator after the incident, is the root cause.

On the 3rd, Kwon In-sook, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, criticized in an interview with CBS Radio's 'Kim Jong-dae's News Up,' saying, "The day the victim was sexually harassed was not a company dinner to boost morale but a gathering for the opening ceremony of an acquaintance's business," adding, "The intention behind making her accompany them is very clear."

She continued, "The principle of separating victims and perpetrators in the military must be much more sophisticated." She explained, "The military is a closed organization where personnel almost live together in dormitories, so if the victim and perpetrator are not properly separated, secondary victimization can never be improved. In this case, the military did not even make the minimum effort to separate the perpetrators. That is why the perpetrators and their families continuously caused problems."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Regarding the military's inadequate punishment for aiding and abetting sexual violence, Representative Kwon said, "According to the regulations, commanders can be dismissed or removed for condoning or aiding sexual violence incidents. Other officers can be dismissed or demoted, but in reality, there have been no proper cases of punishment," adding, "Although there are separate regulations and manuals, there is internal laxity, organizational culture, and disciplinary practices that allow them not to be followed."

In particular, Kwon mentioned, "There are sexual grievance counselors within the military, but they have no influence over personnel or legal affairs." She emphasized, "When such incidents occur, female soldiers are instead taught to 'take good care of their bodies.' There is a need to change these 'turning a blind eye' customs."

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