"The 'I will die' text from the female middle school corporal perpetrator... perceived as an apology"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] It has been confirmed that the military police perceived the 'threatening' text messages sent by Staff Sergeant Jang, the perpetrator in the Air Force sexual harassment victim's death case, to Staff Sergeant Lee, the victim, as apologies.

This means that Staff Sergeant Jang's messages such as "If you don't forgive me, I will die" after the sexual harassment were interpreted as apologies, revealing a clear flaw in the initial military police investigation.

A Ministry of National Defense investigation headquarters official said during a background briefing on the 23rd that the 20th Fighter Wing Military Police Battalion, which conducted the initial investigation, did not detain Staff Sergeant Jang, explaining, "It seems the investigator interpreted the fact that two text messages were sent as an apology."

He added, "Therefore, they did not consider the possibility of a second threat, and judged there was no risk of flight or evidence destruction," and explained, "When deciding not to detain, they consulted the military prosecutor's opinion and made a comprehensive judgment."

Regarding the fact that no one from the 20th Fighter Wing military police, who are accused of a botched investigation, has been booked as a suspect yet, the official said, "Some negligence in duty related to the botched investigation has been confirmed," but added, "We are still considering whether to book and criminally punish based on this."

He also said, "At the second meeting of the Military Prosecutor's Investigation Review Committee related to this, there was a request to submit objective materials," and "We will submit the materials and listen to the committee members' opinions at the meeting on Friday (25th) before making a decision."

The investigation headquarters' failure to book any personnel from the 20th Fighter Wing military police contrasts with the Ministry of National Defense prosecution team’s ongoing investigation, which has reclassified the 20th Fighter Wing military prosecutor, who faces the same charges, as a suspect. This has led to criticism from some quarters accusing the investigation headquarters of a 'cover-up investigation' for their own.

A prosecution team official responded, "We are investigating whether the military prosecutor's actions constitute dereliction of duty," and said, "The investigation headquarters seems to have judged that while the military police's investigative actions were not perfect, they do not amount to dereliction of duty."

The 20th Fighter Wing military prosecution received the case from the military police about a month after the incident on April 7 but did not interrogate Staff Sergeant Jang, the perpetrator from the same wing, even once for about two months. The belated interrogation on May 31, nine days after the victim was found dead and the day the case became public through media reports, raises suspicions that the investigation was hurriedly conducted due to the anticipated scandal.

Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that a total of 13 people, including Staff Sergeant Jang and the 20th Fighter Wing military prosecutor, have been booked as suspects and are under investigation. This includes the commander of the 20th Fighter Wing Communications Battalion, who was sued by the family of Staff Sergeant Lee.

Separately, a Ministry of National Defense official stated, "Regardless of the final conclusion on the initial investigation's inadequacy, all involved are subject to administrative punishment regardless of criminal prosecution," and added, "Disciplinary action is possible independently of criminal punishment, and both can be applied simultaneously."

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