Court to Decide by Afternoon of 27th Whether to Suspend Jeon Ik-su's Demotion from Colonel

Jeon Ik-su, Director of Legal Affairs, Air Force Headquarters Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The court has decided to make a ruling on whether to temporarily suspend the demotion of Jeon Ik-su, Chief Legal Officer of the Air Force Headquarters, before his discharge.

The Seoul Administrative Court, Administrative Division 1 (Presiding Judge Kang Dong-hyuk), held a hearing on the 16th regarding Jeon's request for a provisional suspension of disciplinary action (suspension of effect), stating, "We will make a decision by the early afternoon of the 27th at the latest." This decision was made considering that Jeon is scheduled to be discharged on the 31st and his discharge ceremony is set for the 28th. Jeon was identified as responsible for the inadequate investigation of the sexual harassment and death case of the late Sergeant Lee Ye-ram, which occurred in the first half of last year.

During the hearing, both Jeon and the Ministry of National Defense debated whether the grounds for the disciplinary action were valid and whether there were circumstances warranting a temporary suspension of the disciplinary effect to restore Jeon's rank of Brigadier General.

Jeon personally appeared at the hearing, arguing that the reasons for his demotion were inaccurate and that if he holds his discharge ceremony at the demoted rank, even if he wins the main lawsuit later and regains his rank, he would not be able to recover the damages.

In response, the Ministry of National Defense stated, "The Air Force Legal Officer is the head of all legal personnel and has specific command and supervisory authority," and added, "Despite being in the highest position to protect the victim, Jeon has only offered excuses."

They further emphasized, "This disciplinary action is a lawful measure to restore public trust in the military judicial system that has collapsed, and it was also approved by the military commander-in-chief."

Jeon was demoted from Brigadier General to Colonel due to reasons including his failure to properly lead the investigation into the Sergeant Lee Ye-ram case that occurred at the Air Force 20th Fighter Wing. He filed an administrative lawsuit last month on the 28th in objection to this. Subsequently, he applied for a provisional suspension of the demotion's effect until the final ruling on the main lawsuit is confirmed.

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