Love affairs involving officers stun Army

A district court has ruled that it was unfair to give a female Army officer, who had an affair with a superior, a harsher punishment than him.

The Chuncheon District Court ordered the commander of an Army unit to revoke the penalty given to her, saying that it was beyond the commander’s discretion.

According to court officials, she started the affair with her male superior in 2010. Previously, both officers worked at the same Army unit.

The woman, more than 20 years his junior, was aware that he was married, but continued to meet him. They exchanged thousands of phone calls.

The commander of another Army unit where they worked became aware of their affair, court officials said. The commander had the female officer disciplined, telling her that it was improper for a single female officer to have an affair with a married male officer. The commander also said he would transfer the male officer to another Army unit.

However, as the two did not stop meeting, the commander brought the case to an Army disciplinary committee. She was suspended from duty for three months, while her paramour received a one-month suspension.