Special Prosecutor Summons Air Force Director Jeon Ik-su Over Poor Investigation of Late Lee Ye-ram Case

On November 25 last year, the father of the late Air Force Master Sergeant Lee Yeram, who made an extreme choice after suffering secondary sexual harassment damage in front of Myeongdong Cathedral in Jung-gu, Seoul, is holding a solo protest urging the introduction of a special prosecutor.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] On the 24th, the special investigation team led by Special Prosecutor Ahn Miyoung (56, 25th Judicial Research and Training Institute), investigating the death of the late Sergeant Lee Yeram, summoned Jeon Iksu, the Air Force Legal Office Chief (52, Brigadier General), who was identified as responsible for the inadequate initial investigation.

At around 1:27 PM that day, Jeon appeared at the special prosecutor's office in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, as a suspect for the scheduled interrogation starting at 2 PM. He told reporters, "I will thoroughly explain the irresponsible dissemination of false information by the Military Human Rights Center."

Previously, Jeon was charged with abuse of authority and neglect of duty for directing the inadequate initial investigation by the military prosecution when the sexual harassment incident involving Sergeant Lee occurred in March last year. The special investigation team is expected to focus on questioning Jeon about the reports and measures he received from the military prosecution at that time.

Sergeant Lee, who belonged to the Air Force 20th Wing, reported being sexually harassed by a senior non-commissioned officer in March last year but tragically took her own life on May 21 of the same year while the military prosecution investigation was ongoing. The Ministry of National Defense, which investigated the case, filed criminal charges against 25 individuals and prosecuted 15 last October. However, the command, including the 20th Wing military police, military prosecutors responsible for the initial investigation, and Jeon, who supervised the military prosecution, were not prosecuted due to insufficient evidence, sparking controversy.

The special investigation team began a full-scale investigation into the Air Force leadership following the summons of former Air Force Chief of Staff Lee Seongyong the previous day. Notably, before these investigations, they secured custody of lawyer A, formerly of a law firm, on charges of forging evidence related to the case. A was arrested on the 15th for manipulating the original file of the so-called 'Jeon Iksu recording,' which the Military Human Rights Center exposed last November, containing evidence that Jeon directed a non-detention investigation of the sexual assault perpetrator.

Since its launch in June, the special investigation team has conducted raids on over 30 locations, including the Ministry of National Defense, Air Force Headquarters, the 20th Fighter Wing, the 15th Special Mission Wing, and the Air Force Investigation Unit, and has investigated about 80 related individuals. The team's mandate lasts until September 12.

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