Air Force general demoted for covering up sexual assault

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Air Force general demoted for covering up sexual assault

Published: 27 Nov. 2022, 14:32

Jeon Ik-soo, the Air Force’s chief legal affairs officer, speaks to reporters on Aug. 24 on his way to be questioned by the special counsel team that investigated the service's handling of the sexual assault compaint and suicide of Master Sgt. Lee Ye-ram. [YONHAP]

An Air Force brigadier general became the first general officer to be demoted in rank in 43 years because of his cover-up of a sexual assault case that led to the suicide of a female officer, military sources said Saturday.

Jeon Ik-soo, the Air Force’s chief legal affairs officer, was demoted by one rank to colonel for mishandling the case of Master Sgt. Lee Ye-ram, who took her life in May 2021 after being groped by a male sergeant after a work dinner two months earlier.

The Defense Ministry approved the disciplinary measure on Nov. 18 and President Yoon Suk-yeol approved it Tuesday, the sources said.

Jeon was one of seven people, including five Air Force officers and two officials, who were indicted in September by an independent counsel for attempting to cover up the sexual assault case and defaming the victim.

The special counsel’s head prosecutor, Ahn Mi-young, said the indicted officers’ handling of Lee’s sexual assault complaint deepened her despair and encouraged her to take her own life in May 2021.

Lee, who was stationed at the 20th Fighter Wing base in Seosan, South Chungcheong, blamed the Air Force for ignoring her complaint of sexual assault by a male master sergeant after a work dinner in March 2021. Lee accused the male colleague of groping her in a vehicle on their way home from the dinner.

Her suicide prompted her family to demand justice in a petition they uploaded to the Blue House website, which garnered over 217,000 signatures.

Lee’s family argued that her death was precipitated by a cover-up by her unit and defamation by senior officers.

Jeon, who formerly served as chief of the Air Force legal affairs office, was charged with trying to influence the initial probe into the incident.

He was suspended from duty following the indictment, but was already due to retire in December.

Jeon’s demotion took effect as soon as President Yoon approved it, but Jeon can appeal within 30 days, according to the sources.

Jeon’s demotion is the first of a general officer since 1979, when then-Army Chief of Staff Gen. Jeong Seung-hwa was demoted to the rank of private following a military coup led by Chun Doo Hwan, who later became president.

Lee’s father, Lee Ju-wan, said Jeon’s demotion was a necessary measure to prevent the kind of suffering that led his daughter to commit suicide.

“[This demotion] is not an act of private revenge or intended to destroy anyone, but what the Defense Ministry had to implement in order to prevent what Ye-ram went through from happening again,” the father told Yonhap in a telephone interview.

“No more young soldiers should die because of these things,” he added.

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]