Military Prosecutors Indict Battalion Commander and NCO for Evidence Tampering in Air Force NCO Recording Case

On the 6th, acquaintances visited the funeral hall of Staff Sergeant Lee, an Air Force non-commissioned officer who was a victim of sexual harassment, set up at the Armed Forces Capital Hospital in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, to pay their respects. / Seongnam - Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Jo] The Military Prosecutor's Office of the Ministry of National Defense announced on the 2nd that it has indicted Lieutenant Colonel Kim, commander of the 20th Fighter Wing's Information and Communications Battalion, who was the direct superior of the victim, and Senior Non-Commissioned Officer Kim, the first person to have a phone call with the victim, in connection with the death of an Air Force non-commissioned officer who was a victim of sexual harassment. The charge applied is evidence tampering.

According to the military prosecution, Senior NCO Kim was the first to have a phone call immediately after the sexual harassment incident, as well as having multiple phone calls with the victim, Staff Sergeant Lee, regarding this case. It is known that Staff Sergeant Lee confided not only the sexual harassment but also the secondary victimization by superiors to Senior NCO Kim at that time. However, instead of immediately reporting or notifying higher authorities, Senior NCO Kim reportedly informed the perpetrators of the sexual harassment and secondary victimization complaints. Furthermore, after the victim's death and the start of the Ministry of National Defense's joint investigation, some audio recordings and other evidence were deleted.

The prosecution also reportedly found evidence that Lieutenant Colonel Kim, the battalion commander, was aware of these circumstances and conspired with Senior NCO Kim to tamper with evidence. The prosecution stated that regarding Lieutenant Colonel Kim, "He will be notified to the Air Force Headquarters for disciplinary action on the charge of breach of duty of sincerity for failing to properly separate the victim and the perpetrator."

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