By Kang Seung-woo
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) is being criticized for taking little action to address sexual abuse on military bases despite earlier pledges to root out such offenses.
In the wake of several high-profile sexual-violence cases in the military, the ministry unveiled comprehensive measures to combat sex offenses on March 26, including tougher punishment on offenders and transferring those convicted to other units.
“The defense ministry is seeking to revise regulations regarding disciplinary action on service members and civilian employees linked to sex offenses,” a military official said on Sunday.
The official said the ministry will complete the revision within the year, but there are concerns that this may be extended to next year.
A measure forcing sex offenders to transfer to other units in order to prevent them from working with their victims is still under review.
“If a victim wants to move to a new unit, the military authorities will allow him or her to do so, as well,” the official said.
A plan to allow civilian experts to join disciplinary committees is also uncertain due to a lack of budget, although the military is trying to enforce this from next year.
As part of efforts to stamp out sexual assaults in the military, there have been calls for military authorities to take harsher punitive actions against senior service personnel _ especially those who commit crimes by exploiting their rank. However, the military has been reluctant to reveal the wrongdoings of senior officers.
In the latest in a series of sex offenses committed by members of the military, an Army major was sentenced to a two-year jail term last month on charges of molesting a female subordinate, who eventually committed suicide.
In January, an Army colonel was arrested for raping a female subordinate multiple times. In October, a major general in charge of an Army division in the Seoul metropolitan area was arrested on charges of sexually harassing a female subordinate at his office five times.