Soldier awarded for capturing sex offender

Kim Ji-yoon, center, a second lieutenant in the Army’s 30th Mechanized Infantry Division, poses with officers at Dobong Police Station in Seoul on Dec. 3 after receiving an appreciation award for helping the police arrest an alleged sex offender in November. / Courtesy of the Army’s 30th Mechanized Infantry Division

By Yi Whan-woo

Kim Ji-yoon, a Republic of Korea Army second lieutenant, says the soldier’s creed to serve the nation’s citizens was on his mind when he helped the police apprehend an alleged sex offender last month.

Kim, 24, said he never thought about walking away from the crime scene when he spotted a suspect, only identified as a man in his 30s, groping a drunken woman on a subway train in Seoul on the night of Nov. 23.

“I had it drilled into me that my duty is protecting the country and its people when I was commissioned into the Army,” he told The Korea Times in a phone interview, Wednesday. “To me, leaving the scene would have been going against my duties.”

Kim serves as troop information and education officer at the ROK Army’s 30th Mechanized Infantry Division after being commissioned as a second lieutenant in March.

He also said he sent text messages on his mobile phone to the 112 emergency call center because he thought it would be the best way to protect the victim while rounding up the suspect.

With Kim updating the authorities via text messages, police from Dobong Police Station arrived at the scene and took the suspect into custody at Dobong Station on Seoul Subway Line 1.

The victim, only identified as in her 20s, had passed out and was not aware she was being sexually assaulted, according to investigators. It was found that the suspect had several previous convictions for sexual misdemeanors.

“I was confident that I could overpower the suspect physically if we got in a fist fight,” he said. “But at the same time, I was concerned that such a possible scuffle may jeopardize the victim.”

He claimed that he decided to avoid a fight to prevent the military’s image from being tarnished publicly. “I thought the police could handle the case on their own and I judged that any use of unintentional violence against civilians could hurt the military’s reputation.”

Kim was on the last day of his leave when the crime took place. He testified to police late into the night and faithfully cooperated with the investigation, according to detectives.

“The police told us that Kim’s testimony was critical in to prove the suspect’s guilt,” the 30th Mechanized Infantry Division said in a press release.

Dobong Police Station presented Kim with an appreciation award on Dec. 3 in recognition of his courageous act.