Colonel Gomin-sook Appointed as Special Military Prosecutor for Air Force Sergeant Case

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Colonel Go Min-sook, head of the Naval Headquarters Prosecutor's Office (soon to be promoted), has been appointed as a special military prosecutor to investigate the death of an Air Force non-commissioned officer who was a victim of sexual harassment.

According to the Ministry of National Defense on the 18th, this special prosecutor system has been introduced for the first time since the founding of the armed forces. Colonel Go is scheduled to take charge of investigating remaining suspicions, including dereliction of duty by the Air Force Headquarters Legal Office, and following the interim investigation results announced on the 9th, the Ministry of National Defense's joint investigation, which has effectively entered its second round, is expected to intensify.

Accordingly, the investigation is expected to focus on clarifying the responsibility of the Air Force Legal Office, including the dereliction of duty charges against Jeon Ik-su, head of the Air Force Legal Office, as well as unresolved issues related to the inadequate initial investigation.

Colonel Go is affiliated with the Ministry of National Defense Prosecutor's Office and will carry out his duties there, but for investigative purposes, he has been granted the authority to report directly to the Minister of National Defense without going through the head of the prosecutor's office, ensuring autonomous and independent investigation.

He stated, "I will strive to comfort the victim and bereaved family through a strict investigation and to earn the trust of soldiers and the public."

The victim, Sergeant Lee, was sexually harassed by a senior non-commissioned officer on March 2nd and reported it the next day, but after suffering secondary harm such as coercion and pressure from colleagues and seniors, she took her own life on May 21st.

Following Minister Seo's directive, the Ministry of National Defense launched a joint investigation on the 1st of last month and announced interim investigation results after 38 days, but mostly confirmed the substance of the sexual harassment and secondary harm cases already raised by the media and the bereaved family.

Above all, the investigation results regarding the 'powerful figures' such as the head of the Air Force Legal Office, who were pointed out to be responsible for the initial investigation and its shortcomings, were stated to be "still under investigation," leading to criticism that the investigation was lenient.

In response, the Military Human Rights Center held a press conference on the 12th, claiming that the military authorities are still "protecting their own" and called for a national audit and the introduction of a special prosecutor system.

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