Even Though the Final Investigation Results Are Not Yet Out... 'The Countermeasures Proposed by the Ministry of National Defense'

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[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The Ministry of National Defense plans to establish a dedicated organization for responding to sexual violence and set up a specialized trial division for sex crimes in the military court to prevent sexual harassment incidents.

On the 9th, the Ministry of National Defense announced the interim investigation results of the sexual harassment victim death case involving Air Force Staff Sergeant Lee and stated that it is considering establishing a "Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Dedicated Organization" modeled after the U.S. Department of Defense's "Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office" (SAPRO).

This dedicated organization will perform functions similar to SAPRO, which is established and operated under the U.S. Secretary of Defense. SAPRO serves as an independent supervisory body that sets standards and detailed strategies for military sex crimes. When a victim report is received, it handles the case without notifying the commander of the relevant unit.

It provides systematic services such as sexual crime prevention education, legal support for victims, and mental health support, especially offering dedicated assistance from the time the incident occurs until the final verdict. It also fosters specialized personnel to support sexual violence victims. The Ministry of National Defense plans to submit the establishment plan of this dedicated organization to a joint civilian-military committee for in-depth discussion.

Additionally, the Ministry will establish a specialized trial division for sex crimes in the military court and promote the installation of a specialized sexual violence investigation team. It will reorganize investigative units installed at the division level and create a prosecution team directly under the Chiefs of the Army, Navy, and Air Force.

The Ministry of National Defense also plans to transfer jurisdiction to civilian courts if the victim of a military sexual crime is a civilian. It will introduce clear punishment regulations for secondary victimization and improve the public defender system for sexual crime victims, prioritizing the victims' choice and satisfaction. Furthermore, it will promptly introduce the "Military Human Rights Protection Officer" system, which has independent investigative authority over human rights violations within the military.

The Ministry plans to integrate the scattered reporting and grievance handling systems within the military into a mobile app operated by an external organization. It is known to be reviewing the adoption of the mobile app "Listen2me," currently used by some public institutions. "Listen2me" has a function that allows people who have suffered similar harm from the same perpetrator to anonymously unite and report jointly. Victim records, including the identities of reporters and perpetrators, are encrypted and stored on a server. If another victim report identifying the same perpetrator is found, the app automatically sends a notification to the previous reporter. This is to ask whether they agree to report together with the new victim, but to minimize secondary harm, the identities of other reporters and the details of their harm are not disclosed.

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