When Did Minister Seo Wook Receive the First Report on the 'Female Sergeant Death Incident'?

Defense Minister Seo Wook is attending the Cabinet meeting held at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 13th, listening to Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum's remarks. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] There is controversy over the timing when Defense Minister Seo Wook received the report regarding the death of a female Navy soldier who reported sexual harassment.

On the 13th, a military official stated, "Defense Minister Seo Wook received a comprehensive report on military incidents and accidents on the 11th, and upon the female sergeant's death on the 12th, he received a separate death report."

It is known that on the 11th, Minister Seo and other key commanders received reports on military incidents through a group chat shared among them. Some argue that since this was not a formal report, it should not be considered an official notification. In response, the military claims that separate instructions were given regarding the female Navy sergeant case.

If the report Minister Seo received on the 11th was not formal, then the minister received a report related to the Navy sergeant three days after the case was officially reported on the 9th. However, based on the date of the sexual harassment incident (May 27), it was 77 days later.

The Navy’s reporting system is also problematic. The victim initially did not want to report, but after more than two months, on August 7, she requested a meeting with the unit commander and reported the harassment. On the 9th, based on her decision, a formal report was made to higher authorities, according to the Navy’s explanation. Due to the delayed reporting, there are criticisms that the victim’s protection was not properly ensured during those two months.

The unit commander reported to the 2nd Fleet on the 9th, and on the same day, reports were also made to the fleet military police, Navy Operations Command, and the Navy Headquarters Gender Equality Center.

A Navy official indicated a loophole in the manual, stating, "By law, sexual harassment incidents must be reported immediately upon recognition, but according to regulations, if the victim does not want to report, it is not reported."

An arrest warrant was requested for the perpetrator, Sergeant B, the day before, and a pretrial detention hearing (warrant validity review) is scheduled for the same day. It is also known that the investigation is focusing on clarifying what happened before the victim, who initially did not want to report, requested another meeting on August 7.

The military authorities intended to conduct an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death, but the bereaved family wished to hold the funeral without an autopsy, and the funeral procedures are currently being coordinated with the Navy.

Defense Ministry spokesperson Boo Seung-chan said on the day, "We are conducting an investigation considering the possibility of secondary victimization, concealment, or minimization comprehensively." However, the spokesperson only conveyed the Defense Minister’s position, saying, "We sincerely apologize to the bereaved family and the public for this unacceptable incident."

This is the seventh time Minister Seo has issued a public apology since his appointment last September, following incidents such as the failure to guard against North Korean defectors (February 17), poor meals and excessive quarantine controversies (April 28), the death of an Air Force non-commissioned officer who was a sexual harassment victim (June 9 and 10, July 7), and the COVID-19 cluster infection in the Cheonghae Unit (July 20).

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