Division Commander Faces Suspension; Deployed Unit Commander Under Return Review for 'Discipline Breakdown'

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] There are ongoing concerns about the continuous decline in military discipline. An Army division commander was removed from his post due to allegations of secondary sexual harassment, and officers from overseas deployment units are undergoing repatriation reviews for embezzlement of public funds and other issues.

According to the military on the 19th, the commander of the Army's 22nd Division, referred to as Commander A, was removed from his position on the 17th after a report was filed by a sexual harassment victim claiming that the division commander committed secondary harm just five months after his appointment.

The victim reported that Commander A mentioned their sexual harassment case as an example during accident prevention training held within the unit last month. As rumors spread within the unit, the victim reported experiencing secondary harm.

The military authorities are currently investigating the report, but it is known that Commander A has denied the allegations, stating that although the incident was included in the training materials, he did not directly mention the victim's details.

If disciplinary action is taken against Commander A, he will become the eighth division commander disciplined within the 22nd Division. The 22nd Division has been plagued by incidents since 2012, starting with the Knock Defection, followed by Private Ko's suicide in 2017, and a drinking party incident at a frontline post in 2017, among others.

Officers from the deployed units are also undergoing repatriation reviews. The repatriation of four officers from overseas deployment units is unprecedented. Colonel A of the same unit deployed to Lebanon, along with the personnel officer, military police chief, and surveillance team leader, faced allegations of embezzlement of public funds, personal use of sponsored goods, and drinking parties during duty.

Once repatriation is decided, they will undergo a secondary investigation domestically. Earlier reports included allegations that Colonel A embezzled public funds by not paying wages to locally hired personnel and personally used sponsored goods.

Additionally, it is reported that Colonel A held a dinner party at the unit's mess hall from 6:30 PM to midnight with officers eligible for promotion earlier last month, then went to the dormitory with some staff officers to eat late-night snacks until 4 AM while waiting for the Ministry of National Defense's promotion announcement.

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