Lee Jae-myung: "Military Sexual Crimes Should Be Investigated and Tried by Civilians Immediately Upon Report"

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, expressed his dismay, saying he was "speechless" about reports that a victim of sexual violence in the Army, following the Air Force and Navy, had taken an extreme measure.

On the 24th, through a post titled "How many more deaths must follow? We must change before it's too late" on Facebook, Governor Lee stated, "It has been revealed that a victim of sexual violence in the Army, following the Air Force and Navy, attempted an extreme measure," and insisted, "We must no longer neglect the ongoing sexual violence in the military; a comprehensive change in awareness and bold institutional reforms are necessary."

He added, "I am speechless at the military's response to this incident," criticizing, "Although the victim reported the crime, the military handled it as a general disciplinary matter rather than under the military criminal law."

He continued, "The military's explanation that disciplinary procedures were initiated first because the victim's intention to file a criminal complaint was not confirmed after the incident was reported is unreasonable," and pointed out, "There was no investigation, discipline, or punishment for the unit personnel who committed secondary harm."

In particular, he noted, "Every time sexual violence crimes occur in the military and the military's failure to protect victims is pointed out as a problem, no improvements are made," adding, "About half of the sexual violence cases in the military over the past four years were dismissed without prosecution, and only 6% resulted in imprisonment."

Governor Lee also argued that external intervention is necessary to resolve distrust in the military's handling of sexual violence cases.

He proposed, "For crimes such as sexual violence, where the military's special characteristics need not be considered, investigations and trials should be conducted immediately by civilian authorities upon occurrence and reporting," explaining, "This will prevent concealment and minimization of crimes and protect victims' human rights."

He further stated, "Coincidentally, today, the subcommittee of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee agreed to amend the Military Court Act to have civilian courts handle sexual violence cases occurring in the military from the first trial," emphasizing, "This is a meaningful progress, but it is not enough; to further strengthen human rights protection, the introduction of a military human rights protection officer system and the establishment of a dedicated sexual violence case unit within the Ministry of National Defense should also be considered."

Governor Lee concluded, "The words of a victim's family, 'If a group only improves through someone's death, the problem will never be solved as long as they are alive,' deeply touch my heart," and said, "We must ensure that those who dedicate themselves to protecting the lives and property of the people do not lose their lives unjustly. That is the responsibility of the state and the duty of public officials."

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