Admiral in custody over alleged sexual assault on subordinate

By Oh Young-jin

A Korean Navy rear admiral was arrested Tuesday for allegedly trying to rape a subordinate female officer who used to work for him.

According to a Navy spokesman, the two had drinks on June 27 and the admiral tried to sexually assault her. The admiral is in custody and being questioned. He denies the accusation.

The case was disclosed after the victim's commanding officer spoke to her and reported the alleged incident to superiors.

The suspect is stationed in a unit at the Jinhae Naval Base.

The spokesman said the admiral called the victim for drinks after finishing a round. He is suspected of assaulting her while she was too drunk to resist.

The day after, she told her commanding officer that she resisted the senior officer.

"We would show zero tolerance and punish him strictly when and if the suspicions are proved true," the Navy spokesman said.