A member of the South Korean Air Force has been arrested on charges of sexually harassing and injuring a female colleague, which led to her taking her own life, the South Korean Ministry of Defense said yesterday.
The master sergeant, only identified by his surname, Jang, is suspected of molesting the woman of the same rank in a vehicle on their way back to their base in the city of Seosan in March after a dinner.
The victim, identified by her surname, Lee, reported mental distress and transferred to another base at her request two months after the incident, her family said in a petition to the president over the case.
She was found dead at her home on the base on May 22, leaving a video on her mobile phone of her death, the family said.
A military court on Wednesday approved Jang’s arrest on charges of contravening the South Korean Criminal Act by committing indecent acts by compulsion on a member of the military and causing injury.
“He is detained after a hearing and an investigation is under way,” ministry spokesman Boo Seung-chan told a briefing.
The spokesman gave no more details about the case and did not say whether the man had legal representation.
Jang did not respond to reporters’ questions as he was escorted to the military court on Wednesday, Yonhap news agency reported.
The case has triggered a public uproar since the woman’s family filed a petition with the presidential Blue House on Tuesday calling for a thorough investigation and punishment for those involved.
More than 318,000 members of the public had signed the petition as of yesterday morning.
The woman’s family has accused the air force of trying to cover up the assault on the woman and to silence her.
The air force “deeply acknowledged the gravity of the situation,” air force spokesman Choi Yoon-seok said.
He declined to comment on the family’s accusations, citing the investigation.
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