On May 22, a female sergeant in the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) 20th Fighter Wing was found dead in an apparent suicide. The sergeant had registered her marriage the day before her suicide, which left many puzzled as to why she chose to end her life. It was brought to light that she was the victim of sexual abuse, with the perpetrator being a fellow sergeant. The military’s attempt to strategically cover up the truth by reporting the death as accidental exposed its tendency to conceal and cover-up information, which are two unfortunate characteristics of South Korean culture.
South Korean society is deeply rooted in Confucianism, which places importance on group harmony, respect for authority and elders, family, and tradition. However, with the rapid economic development following the Korean War, South Korea started to put emphasis on visible accomplishments such as income and social standing. During this time, men were the breadwinners, with women being responsible for household chores and child-rearing.
This clear division of labor laid the foundation for gender stereotypes, labeling women as frail and voiceless. The tragic death of Sergeant Lee is one of many cases that highlight South Korea’s inadequate support for female victims of violence, while the military’s choice to conceal the truth by preventing Sergeant Lee’s voice from being heard reflects the tendency for many organizations in Korea to hide information that may be seen in a negative light.
A Culture of Concealment and Confinement
Institutionalized discrimination against women is seen most commonly in the workplace, where the glass ceiling and unfair policies lead to unequal opportunities for men and women. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), as of 2020, South Korea ranked 30th of the 36 members for its female employment rate in the working population (i.e., those aged 15 to 64 years) at 56.7 percent, which was 14% lower than its neighboring country Japan. In contrast, Korea’s employment rate for men was ranked 18th. The numbers point towards a disparity in hiring preferences and indicate the systematic suppression of women within Korean culture.
The importance of outside appearances and visible results in Korea has created this disparity. The unhealthy trend to try to make things look better than what they actually are leads to the concealment of the truth. One organization that particularly reflects this reality is the military. According to Professor Kim Soohan (Department of Sociology), “The military is the best representation of a bureaucracy, with authorities that restrict and conceal information. Because it is mandatory for South Korean men to serve in the military, they are used to this rather occlusive organization structure. This structure is then implemented in the workplace, which then affects South Korean society as a whole.” This trend was brought to light when Sergeant Lee chose to end her life, upheaving South Korea’s tendency of hiding and concealing what may create a negative image.
Sergeant Lee’s Tragic Death
Before her suicide, Sergeant Lee was known to be a highly assiduous and diligent worker among her colleagues. However, her industrious attitude toward her work was damaged on March 2 when her coworker Sergeant Jang called her to a dinner meeting. On the way home, Jang sexually harassed Lee, and she reported this to her superiors. However, they took no action to protect Lee from Jang but rather urged them to reach a settlement. Due to the base’s inadequate response, Lee resorted to filing a report to the military police, but to her dismay, the investigation was constantly postponed.
The incompetency of both the military and police caused immense psychological distress for Lee, leading her to take a petition leave from March 4 to May 2. However, this did not resolve the issue. After her leave, she returned to work, but she was not given the chance to start with a clean slate as she had hoped. According to *The Korea Herald*, Sergeant Lee was granted permission to transfer to a different unit, but those in her new unit treated her differently because they assumed that she was *problematic*.
This psychological pressure and stress that Lee experienced can be defined as a form of secondary assault. It differs from traditional assault in the sense that it is not physical, but it was a definite factor in her death. Indeed, mental abuse can be as destructive as physical abuse. According to the study *Emotional Abuse in Intimate Relationships: The Role of Gender and Age* by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), “For emotional abuse, prevalence rates averaged around 80%; 40% of women and 32% of men reported expressive aggression, and 41% of women and 43% of men reported coercive control.” Although the results may not be as easy to observe as physical assault, this invisible abuse can leave permanent marks that change the thought process of the victim.
The military’s weak response is indicative of its inattentiveness to the abuse that happens on military bases. In fact, crimes ranging from physical abuse to sexual harassment occur more frequently than reported because the South Korean military’s strict rank-based hierarchy facilitates a concealment culture. Combined with South Korea’s tolerance for aggression and the celebration of visible accomplishments, the military hierarchy makes it a place that is feared by many young Koreans who have to enlist for their mandatory military service.
Air Force’s Attempt to Conceal the Truth
In line with the tendency toward secrecy in the military, the Air Force initially tried to keep the case quiet. However, allegations of deliberate cover-ups were made against the military by the Military Human Rights Korea (MHRK). On June 30, during a press conference, MHRK released a long list of evidence supporting their allegations. As reported by *Yonhap News*, MHRK stated that the four reports compiled by the Air Force between May 22 and 23, following Sergeant Lee’s death, clearly revealed that the military “falsely reported and tried to conceal the incident.”
In the first report drafted on May 22, the Air Force ruled Sergeant Lee’s death to be an accident and did not mention anywhere that sexual harassment and abuse had taken place. However, in the second report, there was a detailed account of what had happened to Lee, and it explicitly stated that the cause of the sergeant’s death was sexual harassment by Sergeant Jang. The third report included accounts of the reaction of Lee’s family, going into detail about how the family wanted the military and police to conduct a thorough investigation and impose appropriate punishments on the perpetrator and those who allowed it to happen or attempted to cover it up.
The final report was crucial to illustrating the cover-up by the military. Unlike the previous two reports, the fourth report failed to state that Sergeant Lee’s death was due to Jang’s sexual harassment and left out information on what Lee’s family wanted. The Air Force made it appear as if the family did not want any additional investigation, with the report merely describing the family’s grief. This report clearly shows that the military tried to deliberately halt the investigation and turn the situation around in order to prevent the case from spiraling out of control.
This evidence helped to reinvigorate the investigation into Sergeant Lee’s accusations. Before her death, the investigation into the accusations of sexual harassment was slow. Although she filed reports and her superiors were made aware of her situation, an investigation was not launched immediately. This was noted by *The Korea Herald*, which stated that “the Air Force prosecution first investigated the suspect on May 31, after the death of the victim and 55 days after the military police sent the case to the prosecution on April 7.” However, the allegations by the MHRK and the publicization of Lee’s story have accelerated the investigation process.
Even after the Defense Ministry’s prosecution and investigation teams raided the Air Force on June 4 and seized documents that revealed its attempt to conceal evidence, it was not until June 25 that an investigation was officially opened on the military police. This was due to its delayed response to the sexual abuse report filed by Lee and its lack of immediate corrective actions.
With the military police out of the investigation process, 22 people have been booked on the investigation list as of June 9. According to *Chosun Business*, the Defense Ministry reported that “10 people have been put on trial and 16 will be referred to the disciplinary committee.” Sergeant Jang was arrested on June 2. During the investigation, Jang admitted his wrongdoings and the Defense Ministry emphasized that it would do its best to continue to identify others involved in Lee’s case.
As the interest surrounding Sergeant Lee’s case increased, similar cases on other bases have surfaced. This has led to a number of reinvestigations and the discovery of large volumes of illegal sexual material possessed by those in the military. As reported by *Nate News*, during a reinvestigation of a case back in May in the ROKAF 19th Fighter Wing, forensic analysis of a suspect’s USB and smartphone revealed sexual content filmed with hidden cameras. Numerous female officers from different military bases were secretly filmed, and their videos were saved and distributed.
This illustrates that Lee’s case is not a one-off scandal. In fact, sexual harassment in the military has been a long-standing problem. South Korea has lost a total of three female officers working in the military – an army officer in 2013, a navy officer in 2017, and Sergeant Lee in 2021. One similarity between all three cases is that the military initially attempted to cover up what had happened. In addition, the investigations in all three cases were extremely slow and *self-investigated*, which allowed the military to make the cases seem less severe and give their male officers a way to avoid a government trial.
Turning a Blind Eye Toward Female Victims
South Korea’s inability to protect female victims is also highlighted by the poor performance of the Crime Victim Support Center. The Crime Victim Support Center is a non-profit private organization operating under the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) with the aim of protecting and supporting the victims of crime. Although its main purpose is to provide counseling for victims with psychological and physical damage, the organization has not fully upheld its purpose.
On May 21, the victim of year-long abuse by her ex-boyfriend was coldly ignored by the Crime Victim Support Center despite her repeated calls for help. The victim, who was in her 20s, had experienced serious abuse at the hands of her former partner, including stabbing, choking, and harsh beatings. Although the perpetrator was arrested by the police on charges of special injury, the victim was afraid of retaliation and made the decision to reach out for the center’s help. However, the center did not respond with even a check-up call. With no professional help, the victim had no choice but to address the matter instituting legal proceedings herself.
According to KBS, Ko Hong-ja, the director of the Jeju Women's Counseling Center, stated that “the fact that the victim called to get help indicates that she was really desperate. It should not end with a one-time call, but it is important to go through multiple check-ups to make sure the victim is indeed safe." The MOJ reported the agency's failure to perform its duties to the Human Rights Rescue Department, but the center merely announced that it would acknowledge its mistakes and improve.
There are several reasons for the Crime Victim Support Center’s poor response. The center was created with the passing of the Crime Victim Protection Act on December 1, 2005, but the legislation cannot hold the center accountable for its lack of results because the Act cannot legally punish the center for poor practices. In addition, there have been problems due to poor budgeting and insufficient staffing.
It should also be noted that recognizing the state's responsibility for the victims of crime is a relatively recent development. This is because investigations and punishments for crime have garnered more attention than the consequences for victims in Korean society. Therefore, the management of affiliated ministries has not been well-organized because, even though the care for victims is more strongly emphasized by the public, the seriousness of the issue is not often recognized, and the related laws are still weak.
Future for Women
According to Professor Yi Sohoon (Department of Sociology, Kyungpook National University), “What the sergeant’s case tells us is the need to mainstream the Gender-based Violence (GBV) countermeasures beyond overarching and abstract principles. The prevention of GBV has to be specifically built into all measures and laws in realistic ways. I’m talking about rules related to promotion and human resources, safety, facility maintenance, and so on. If there are any rules that promote or condone GBV, or pose obstacles in seeking redress for GBV victims, they have to be revised.”
Professor Yi argued the importance of institutional change in the Korean military organization. “What resulted in the sergeant’s death was not only the casual acceptance of gender-based violence and the culture that condones such acts in the military, but also the inadequate response of the military administration.” She especially emphasized the need for institutions that can contribute to the change of this social atmosphere of the closed organization.
Sergeant Lee’s tragic death and the problems associated with the Crime Victim Support Center are just two of the many examples of poor infrastructure for preventing violence against women in Korea. To overcome these problems, the MOJ currently operates multiple crime victim support systems through related agencies. There are four different types of support systems, each designated with specific tasks to help victims overcome the results of physical and psychological violence. These systems include counseling and medical treatment of victims damaged by violent crimes such as murder, robbery, arson, sexual assault, and injury.
This superficially systematic division of tasks may be effective to a certain extent, but it raises the possibility of responsibility shifting. Without extensive communication and a clear division of roles, organizations may find themselves putting the blame on others in order to defend themselves against possible repercussions. According to a 2009 study by the Korea Women’s Policy Institute, despite the expansion of support services by various institutions, related institutions have overlapping roles, resulting in poor service quality for victims of sexual violence. To skillfully run these organizations, the clear-cut division of roles must be preconditioned, and the role of higher authorities in evaluating and supervising the work of affiliated organizations must be clearly defined.
As illustrated by the Crime Victim Support Center case, support for the victim's personal protection and recovery is insufficient. Although the importance of the center is clear, the allocated budget is too low for it to operate effectively. To improve and strengthen these support measures, increased investment in these centers is extremely important. With a higher budget, support centers will be able to more fundamentally assist victims.
In addition to greater funding for support centers, the perception of victimized females and its tendency to conceal flaws among the Korean public must change. A similarity of Sergeant Lee and the Crime Victim Support Center cases is that higher-level organizations took no measures to help the victims. Rather than being on the side of the victim, they resorted to covering up the incidents and did not listen to what the female victims had to say.
This reflects the characteristics of Korean society, where the victim's psychological health is not paid much attention. Thus, it is necessary to create a social atmosphere in which people can protest the lack of fairness inherent to strict hierarchies. This is because the active participation of citizens in society can lead to legislative changes. It will not be easy to reform the long-standing social hierarchy immediately. However, no matter how the legal system is structured, the problem of victims' rights will not be solved unless the attitudes of the public change.
The inadequate support for female victims of crime is a topic that has recently started to be re-examined in South Korea. To prevent cases like Sergeant Lee’s suicide from recurring, Korean society needs to recognize the need for transparency and the need for change. This will ultimately lead to concrete legislative action, thus preventing crimes from occurring in the future. The secrecy and restrictions inherent to hierarchies, such as in the military, must be prevented; to do so, the root causes of structural vulnerability found on current management toward problem needs to be uncovered and related guidelines should be established. This is essential in that it will lead to the development of criminal prosecution for society as a whole, not only for women.