This Time a Navy Female Sergeant... Military Losing Its Self-Discipline Ability

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Similar sexual crimes occurred in the Navy around the same time as in the Air Force, but proper follow-up measures were not taken, leading to repeated cases where victims made extreme choices. The Navy experienced incidents almost identical to the Air Force female officer case, which had already caused great public outrage. Even though the President ordered thorough handling and the establishment of countermeasures, these directives were not effective. This has revealed serious problems in the military's self-purification capabilities, and strong repercussions are expected.

According to the military on the 13th, Sergeant A, who was found dead the day before, was sexually harassed by Staff Sergeant B on May 27. However, the case was officially reported only on August 7, more than two months later, at Sergeant A's request. Immediately after the incident, Sergeant A only informed one unit official out of fear that the sexual harassment would become known. An investigation is needed into why Sergeant A requested an official report more than two months after the incident. It is likely that Sergeant A’s change of heart was due to secondary harm such as internal attempts at persuasion within the unit during that period. In the Air Force sexual harassment case, direct superiors also tried to persuade victims by saying things like, "Can’t we just let this go?" or "It’s something you might experience once in your life."

Another reason why the Air Force and Navy cases are almost identical is that the separation between the perpetrator and the victim was not done promptly. The military dispatched the victim to another unit only two days after the case was officially reported on the 7th. It is known that Sergeant A was in a very unstable psychological state until just before making the extreme choice, yet no counseling or psychological support was provided.

What is even more incomprehensible is that the Navy did not properly manage Sergeant A’s case even when a similar incident in the Air Force had become a major social issue. The timing of Sergeant A’s sexual harassment was six days after a female Air Force officer made an extreme choice. At that time, the military was conducting a large-scale campaign, operating a special sexual violence reporting period from June 3 to 30. Despite this, the military failed to properly recognize Sergeant A’s case in the Navy. Considering that the Air Force Chief of Staff resigned due to the crisis at that time, this is difficult to understand.

Furthermore, Sergeant A was found dead on the 12th, only eight days after President Moon Jae-in summoned Defense Minister Suh Wook and other top officials to the Blue House, urging them to "become a trusted military."

In response, the Navy stated, "The Defense Investigation Headquarters and the Navy Central Investigation Unit will thoroughly investigate the case and strictly punish those involved according to relevant laws."

Defense Ministry spokesperson Boo Seung-chan also said on the same day, "We are conducting an investigation considering secondary harm, concealment, and reduction comprehensively." He also conveyed the Defense Minister’s position, saying, "We sincerely apologize to the bereaved family and the public for this unacceptable incident."

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