SEOUL– The defense ministry plans to appoint a “special mission prosecutor” to ensure a transparent and independent investigation into the suicide of a Air Force noncommissioned officer who suffered sexual abuse, officials said Tuesday.
The planned appointment, which would mark the first of its kind since the founding of the country’s armed forces, comes as the bereaved family has raised complaints that the ongoing investigation has not been thorough enough.
Defense Minister Suh Wook is likely to appoint Col. Ko Min-sook as a special mission prosecutor next week, an official said. Ko currently leads the prosecution office of the Navy headquarters.
In the civilian prosecution, a special mission prosecutor is named to ensure an independent investigation into internal corruption and other sensitive cases. Such a prosecutor is supposed to conduct an investigation without command from higher-ups and is required to report only the results of an assigned investigation.
The victim took her own life May, about three months after being sexually abused by a colleague. Her family has claimed that her superiors tried to cover up the case rather than trying to protect her.
Following the intense public fury over the Air Force’s mishandling of the case, the ministry took over the case and launched an extensive probe last month.
After a monthlong probe, the defense ministry last week announced the interim results, saying 10 people were indicted and more than a dozen others are under official investigation for allegedly trying to cover up the case without giving proper help to the victim.
“We’ve asked the defense ministry to appoint a female special prosecutor for the case,” Kim Jeong-hwan, lawyer for the bereaved family, said. “We hope she plays a role in conducting an independent and fair investigation.”
Source: Yonhap News Agency