This Time the Navy... Female Sergeant Victim of Sexual Violence Dies

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] A female non-commissioned officer (NCO) in the Navy who reported being sexually harassed by a superior officer was found dead five days after the report, on the 12th. The incident has shocked the public as it occurred less than three months after the death of Air Force Staff Sergeant Lee, who took her own life after alleging sexual harassment.

According to the Navy on the 12th, Navy female Staff Sergeant A, who reported being sexually harassed by a superior officer, was found dead in the unit dormitory that afternoon.

On May 27, at a Navy unit located on an island in Ongjin-gun, Incheon, perpetrator Sergeant B reportedly forcibly molested Staff Sergeant A at a restaurant. On the day of the sexual harassment, Staff Sergeant A sent a text message to the unit’s chief sergeant to report the incident.

However, although she informed her superior immediately after the incident, she did not file an official report until the 7th, when she again disclosed the harassment during a meeting with the unit commander. Two days later, at the victim’s request, the incident was formally reported.

Staff Sergeant A, who was stationed at the island unit, was reportedly dispatched to a land-based unit only on the 9th. This has raised questions about whether follow-up measures such as separating the perpetrator and victim were delayed. The military police began investigating Staff Sergeant A as a victim on the 10th, and on the 11th, the investigation of Sergeant B reportedly commenced.

During this process, at Staff Sergeant A’s request, procedures were carried out to appoint a civilian public defender and provide necessary legal consultation support.

Inside and outside the military, criticism is mounting that despite Defense Minister Seo Wook’s public apology two months ago over the death of Air Force Staff Sergeant Lee, the measures to prevent recurrence have become empty promises. It is argued that the military’s internal culture is incapable of self-purification. In particular, the military’s sexual violence victim protection system, which was supposed to be strengthened after the Air Force Staff Sergeant Lee case, has once again become ineffective.

Notably, this death occurred just eight days after President Moon Jae-in summoned Minister Seo and other military leaders to the Blue House on the 4th, urging them to "become a trusted military."

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