Air Force to Remove Investigation Functions from Frontline Military Police and Prosecutors' Offices

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter]The Air Force, embroiled in controversy over inadequate initial investigations related to the death of a non-commissioned officer who was a victim of sexual harassment, will effectively separate the investigative functions of frontline unit military police and military prosecutors and reorganize them under direct control of headquarters. Additionally, a sexual crime investigation team will be newly established under direct headquarters control to handle all related cases within the Air Force, and a Military Innovation Center (tentative name) directly under the Chief of Staff, serving as an 'on-site complaint office,' will also be created.

On the 13th, the Air Force announced that it held the first half of 2021 Air Force Commanders' Meeting at the Air Force Headquarters conference room in Gyeryongdae, chaired by Air Force Chief of Staff Park In-ho, to discuss these measures.

The meeting was convened to convey the main contents and guidelines of the All-Army Commanders' Meeting held on the 7th under the chairmanship of Defense Minister Seo Wook, and to further discuss and develop the measures discussed at the general officers' meeting held shortly after Chief Park's inauguration.

The core of the measures discussed that day is the reorganization of the military police and military prosecutor organizations. Starting in October, the Air Force will separate the investigative functions from the military police, who have so far been doubly responsible for investigation and base security duties, and establish an 'Air Force Investigation Unit' directly under the Air Force Headquarters.

The Air Force Investigation Unit will be organized into five regional wide-area investigation teams under its command to focus solely on investigative duties, enhancing investigative expertise and guaranteeing independence so that frontline unit commanders cannot influence investigations. The existing military police units from headquarters to frontline unit military police battalions will henceforth be responsible only for base security duties.

Alongside this, from January next year, an 'Air Force Prosecutor Unit' directly under the Air Force Headquarters will be established, consolidating the previously dispersed prosecutor offices across 23 units into five integrated offices, aiming to handle all Air Force criminal cases swiftly and professionally under a unified command system.

Accordingly, frontline unit prosecutors will perform only disciplinary and human rights-related duties within the unit, excluding investigation and prosecution tasks.

The Air Force also plans to form dedicated military police and prosecutor investigative teams responsible for all sexual violence cases in the future. First, under the Air Force Central Investigation Unit, a 'Sexual Violence Crime Investigation Team' followed by a 'Sexual Crime Dedicated Prosecutor Investigation Team' will be launched. The victim's court-appointed lawyer system, which faced criticism for inadequate defense in the non-commissioned officer death case, will be improved by establishing a pool including civilian lawyers.

Separately, a complaint office that directly reports on-site voices to the Chief of Staff will be created. The Air Force plans to partially reduce the Secretariat and Policy Office organizations and establish a Military Innovation Center (tentative name) directly under the Chief of Staff, composed of two teams: 'Human Rights Protection' and 'Military Life.' Notably, the head of the Human Rights Protection team will be a civilian expert who will also serve as the Chief of Staff’s human rights advisor.

Furthermore, a 'Military Innovation Advisory Committee' composed of civilian experts from various fields will be operated to continuously review and rationally improve organizational culture in line with public expectations, addressing overall military life improvements, sexual violence prevention, and soldier human rights protection.

Considering the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the number of on-site attendees at the meeting was minimized to key positions at Air Force Headquarters. Commanders of subordinate units and external unit attendees participated via video conference.

Before the meeting, Chief Park solemnly evaluated the current situation, which failed to meet public expectations regarding the death of the sexual harassment victim non-commissioned officer, and urged commanders to actively participate in the Air Force’s efforts for military innovation to be reborn as a 'righteous and strong Air Force' that meets the public’s standards.

He also emphasized, "Let us all work together to ensure that the development measures and related actions promoted by the Air Force for military innovation are implemented substantively, with commanders’ keen interest and active communication and empathy with unit members."

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