How sexually harassed Air Force master sergeant was cornered into suicide

Posted on : 2021-06-04 17:23 KST Modified on : 2021-06-11 14:59 KST
Driving her to her death was a huge military organization utterly insensitive to the suffering of victims of sexual violence
Defense Minister Suh Wook pays tribute Wednesday at a funeral for the Air Force master sergeant who died in a suicide following alleged sexual harassment by a colleague. (Yonhap News)
Defense Minister Suh Wook pays tribute Wednesday at a funeral for the Air Force master sergeant who died in a suicide following alleged sexual harassment by a colleague. (Yonhap News)

Three years after the #MeToo movement erupted, an Air Force master sergeant with the surname Lee died in suicide after suffering sexual harassment. Her suicide can be considered the result of a series of overlapping events like the military's backward culture of taking sex crimes lightly, its tendency to cover up problems, and the inability of military police to conduct quick and effective probes.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has ordered the highest-level examination of command line issues, including the reporting and handling processes, and eyes in and out of the military are seeing what executive responsibility Defense Minister Suh Wook and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Lee Seong-yong will take over the woman's death.

The process in which the master sergeant was driven to suicide can be divided into three stages. The first is her unit's attempt at a cover-up. On March 3, she was going home in a car after being forced to attend a dinner with a colleague surnamed Jang, who sexually harassed her during the ride. The private gathering attended by five people was to celebrate the opening of a business by an acquaintance of the superior of a master sergeant Noh. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the government has a strict limit of four people per gathering, but the woman was forced to attend.

An Air Force master sergeant surnamed Jang, alleged to have committed sexual harassment on a fellow master sergeant that drove her to suicide, is taken into the Defense Ministry's regular military court in Seoul on Tuesday. (provided by the Ministry of National Defense)
An Air Force master sergeant surnamed Jang, alleged to have committed sexual harassment on a fellow master sergeant that drove her to suicide, is taken into the Defense Ministry's regular military court in Seoul on Tuesday. (provided by the Ministry of National Defense)

After the sexual assault occurred, the victim's superiors attempted a cover-up for fear that the incident would be known. The day after, Noh, on March 3, summoned her in the evening and told her that the attack was "something you can experience once in your life." He also asked her to say the incident never happened. The host of the gathering also applied additional pressure, telling her that the people at the event "could be hurt." Meanwhile, she was also exposed to victim-blaming after the perpetrator texted her the message, "I'd rather kill you."

These offenses violated the Defense Ministry's unit management directives for "being forced to attend a function" (Article 248, Section 2); "protection of victims through separation of space" (Article 244), "transfer of a report of sexual violence to the complaint department" (Article 246 Section 6); and "requesting military authorities to investigate without delay" (Article 246 Section 2).

Last year, the ministry instituted a system of "one strike, you're out" for sex offenders in its guidelines to prevent sexual violence, and also applied the stricter standard of meting out equally harsh punishments for those glossing over, aiding and abetting, covering up or protecting perpetrators. Yet the victim's family said Thursday that Noh and the two others at the gathering faced no investigation for concealment and cover-up until the ministry's prosecutors charged them.

The ensuing botched investigation further hurt the victim. The military police of the Air Force's 20th Fighter Wing submitted as evidence a black box in the car Lee was riding in. In rejecting Jang's advances, she said, "Just stop. How are you going to view me later?" Unlike other sex crimes in which a victim and the victim's "position" are used, this incident had objectively confirmed evidence.

Yet the military probe began on March 17, two weeks after the fact. In addition, the confiscation of mobile phones, key pieces of evidence in this case, came on Monday, nearly three months after the incident.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Lee Seong-yong hurriedly summoned military prosecutors on Wednesday and lamented why the probe took so long. A military source said with a sigh, "I feel horrible, too. Military police and prosecutors are so inept. They file reports way too late and can record things that were not what happened."

Lim Tae-hoon, founder and head of the Center for Military Human Rights Korea, said, "Lack of capacity could've botched this investigation, and Defense Ministry prosecutors must find out in a thorough probe if a cover-up occurred."

The final blow suffered by the victim was the military's neglect and harassment. She returned to work on May 3 after taking two months of requested leave. Before that, she attended 22 consultations with military counselors and other protective measures were taken, but these opportunities were denied to her after her return.

Her family said that after her transfer to the 15th Special Missions Wing, she was forced to work overtime alone on her first day and that for two weeks after she reported the offense, she was ordered to write everything she did at work by the hour and day. She was also said to have been bullied. Military prosecutors must also clarify these allegations.

By late last month, the victim was at her lowest point, concluding that her organization no longer protected her. Jang was never detained since he was not deemed a flight risk and underwent questioning only once. Master sergeant Lee was found dead on May 22, four days after her transfer to another unit.

While Jang committed sexual assault against the victim, driving her to her death was a huge military organization utterly insensitive to the suffering of victims of sexual violence.

By Gil Yun-hyung, staff reporter

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