Air Force Public Affairs Officer, 'Lee Junsa Incident' Military Prosecutor Sued for "Coercive Investigation"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter]Regarding the death of Staff Sergeant Lee Mo in an Air Force sexual harassment case, the Air Force Public Affairs Office officer, who has been under investigation by the military prosecution as a suspect, claimed to have been subjected to 'coercive investigation' and filed a complaint against the military prosecutor in charge.

On the morning of the 12th, Choi Jang-ho, the lawyer representing Colonel A and Lieutenant Colonel B of the Air Force Headquarters Public Affairs Office, announced that they had submitted a complaint to the Ministry of National Defense prosecution team, requesting an investigation into Major C, a military legal officer belonging to the Ministry of National Defense, on charges of abuse of authority and obstruction of the exercise of rights.

In the complaint, Lawyer Choi claimed, "When the military prosecutor did not receive answers that aligned with his intentions and instead the suspect side pleaded innocence, he spoke informally to Lieutenant Colonel B, stood up from his seat, looked down from above and below while questioning, and made unnecessary hand gestures, conducting a coercive and intimidating interrogation."

He added, "Major C, the military prosecutor, prohibited advice on exercising the right to refuse to testify during the suspect interrogation, thereby obstructing the exercise of the lawyer's rights," and stated, "Even though the accused (military prosecutor) is a military legal officer belonging to the same Ministry of National Defense, a thorough investigation and strict punishment are requested."

Lawyer Choi also filed a constitutional complaint, arguing that the act of prohibiting advice on exercising the right to refuse to testify infringed upon the 'right to counsel' guaranteed as a fundamental right under Article 12 of the Constitution.

Colonel A and Lieutenant Colonel B have been under investigation by the military prosecution for charges including making 'unnecessary contact' with related parties such as Warrant Officer No Mo, who is accused of secondary harm, since the Staff Sergeant Lee case was first reported in the media.

While the parties involved claim their actions were normal public relations activities and assert their innocence, the military prosecution judges that their actions exceeded the scope of public relations activities.

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