Navy sergeant sexually harassed subordinates of the same sex three times, but sentencing was postponed through agreement with the victims

Court: "The crime is serious, but the possibility of a repeat offense is small according to the victim's agreement."

(Busan = Yonhap News) Reporter Cha Geun-ho = A Navy sergeant who forcibly assaulted a subordinate of the same gender working on the same ship three times has had his sentence postponed.

The Busan District Court's Eastern Branch Criminal Division 2 (Presiding Judge Kim Byeong-ju) announced on the 27th that it had postponed the sentence of six months in prison for Mr. A, who was indicted on charges of forcible molestation by a soldier.

Mr. A was handed over to trial on charges of molesting his subordinate, Petty Officer B, three times on board a ship between April and May of last year while he was working as a naval petty officer.

It was revealed that Mr. A touched Mr. B's chest with his hands in the ship's situation room and hallway, and that he touched his chest and other major body parts in the restaurant.

The court judged that Mr. A, a superior in the military with a strict hierarchy, was guilty of a serious crime because he repeatedly committed molestation against subordinates who had difficulty opposing his actions.

The court pointed out that the victim suffered significant sexual discomfort and physical and mental pain, and that the crime had a negative impact on the formation of a desirable military culture.

However, the fact that Mr. A agreed to pay 10 million won to the victim before the end of the argument, and that the victim did not want to be punished was taken into consideration as an advantageous circumstance.

The court said, "With this incident as an opportunity, we are firmly determined not to reoffend again, so the possibility of reoffending in the future appears to be small, and we postponed sentencing by considering various sentencing conditions, including the fact that he has no history of criminal punishment."