Ministry of National Defense: "Sharing on SNS about Female Sergeant's Death Is Not a Report"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The Ministry of National Defense clarified that Minister of National Defense Seo Wook did not receive an individual report on Sergeant Lee's death on the day it occurred, but shared the information with key officials.

On the 9th, the Ministry of National Defense stated, "Minister Seo had not received any individual report related to this incident through the chain of command before the 24th, but on the 22nd, an investigation headquarters official shared the information as a simple death case in an SNS chat room used by the minister and other key officials."

On the same day, Minister Seo said during a briefing at the National Assembly's Defense Committee in the morning, "I recognized that a 'simple death case' was posted in the SNS situation-sharing chat room on May 22." At that time, the situation room chief of the Ministry of National Defense investigation headquarters shared the fact of Sergeant Lee's death as a simple death case in the situation-sharing chat room where the minister and others were present.

However, it is known that Sergeant Lee was not included as a victim of a sexual harassment case in the initial SNS report on the 22nd nor in the formal written report from the investigation headquarters on the 24th.

Earlier, a search and seizure was conducted for the first time on the Air Force prosecution, which is considered a core of the inadequate investigation related to the death of the Air Force non-commissioned officer who was a victim of sexual harassment. The Ministry of National Defense prosecution team and the Ministry of National Defense investigation headquarters began a surprise search and seizure around 8:30 a.m. at the Air Force 20th Fighter Wing military prosecution, the Air Force Headquarters prosecution department, and the Human Rights Narae Center within the Air Force Headquarters Legal Office.

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