Army colonel arrested for raping female staff sergeant

By Jun Ji-hye

An Army colonel was arrested for allegedly raping a lower-ranking female solider, according to the Army headquarters Tuesday.

“Military Police arrested him at about 3 p.m. after securing testimony that he raped a staff sergeant at his residence multiple times from late last month to early this month,” an Army official said, asking not to be named.

The colonel, 47, was in charge of a brigade in Gangwon Province.

An investigation into the case is underway.

“The arrest reflects the military’s zero tolerance regarding sex-related crimes,” the official said. “The Army is protecting the victim to prevent further damage.”

According to officials, the staff sergeant in her 20s told investigators that she was raped, while the colonel argued their sex was based on mutual agreement.

Investigators uncovered the case while looking into another sexual harassment incident involving a major and another female staff sergeant of the same unit. When reporting the case to the Military Police, Thursday, this staff sergeant also spoke about the rape case involving the colonel and her colleague.

The two staff sergeants were roommates at the bachelor officers’ quarters (BOQ).

This is the latest in a series of incidents of sexual abuse in recent months that renewed strong criticism and anger against the military for its mismanagement of service personnel.

In October, a two-star general in charge of an Army division in Seoul’s metropolitan area, was arrested on charges of sexually harassing a female subordinate at his office five times in August and September.

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