Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Conducts On-Site Inspection Related to Air Force NCO Death Incident

Visit to the 20th Fighter Wing and 15th Special Mission Wing on the 16th and 18th
Inspection of Measures to Prevent Sexual Harassment and Sexual Violence and Establishment of Recurrence Prevention Plans

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family will conduct on-site inspections at the Republic of Korea Air Force's 20th Fighter Wing and 15th Special Mission Wing to examine whether measures to prevent sexual violence are being properly implemented in relation to the death of an Air Force non-commissioned officer.

The Ministry announced on the 15th that on the 16th and 18th, it will visit two locations including the Air Force Headquarters to inspect the status of sexual harassment and sexual violence prevention measures, as well as the operation of systems and institutions to prevent secondary damage.

Sergeant Lee, who belonged to the Air Force 20th Fighter Wing, reportedly took an extreme step after being sexually harassed by a senior in March and suffered secondary damage from the perpetrators. Military prosecutors are investigating Sergeant Jang, the perpetrator, and Warrant Officer Noh and Staff Sergeant Noh, who attempted to cover up the incident.

This on-site inspection will be led by the Ministry's Department of Rights Violation Prevention, with participation from the Korea Women's Human Rights Institute and legal experts. They will also check whether measures to prevent recurrence, such as the establishment of countermeasures and violence prevention education, have been properly implemented in relation to past sexual harassment and sexual violence incidents.

They will review whether counseling and grievance handling channels and personnel responsible for grievances have been designated to prevent sexual violence, the status of maintenance of sexual violence prevention guidelines and manuals, and whether sexual violence prevention plans have been prepared.

Minister of Gender Equality and Family Jeong Young-ae stated, "Although the Ministry of National Defense has continuously improved systems and institutions related to sexual violence, they have not functioned properly on the ground, and this incident confirmed the importance of organizational culture innovation and improving awareness among managers."

She added, "Through this on-site inspection, we will examine problems and improvements in the operation of systems and institutions for preventing sexual harassment and sexual violence within the military, and strengthen efforts to spread a culture of gender equality throughout our society."

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