Air Force officer who forcibly molested co-worker's girlfriend loses lawsuit against disciplinary action

(Cheongju = Yonhap News) Reporter Seongmin Lee = An Air Force officer who forcibly molested a colleague's girlfriend while drinking filed a lawsuit against his suspension, but lost.

According to the legal community on the 7th, Cheongju District Court's Administrative Division 1 (Chief Judge Kim Seong-ryul) recently ruled that the plaintiff lost in a lawsuit filed by Air Force Captain A against the commander of the 19th Fighter Wing to cancel disciplinary action.

Captain A, who worked as a pilot in the 19th Fighter Wing, was dismissed in May 2024 on charges of forcibly touching the body of C, the girlfriend of his colleague, Captain B, in the unit's dormitory (rape). After filing an appeal, his sentence was reduced to one month of suspension.

It was found that he had been drinking with Captain B and others that day, and when he fell asleep, he dragged Mr. C into the next room and forcibly touched his body, injuring Mr. C in the process.

Captain A argued that the disciplinary action should be canceled because he did not attempt to rape Person C and Mr. C also did not want to be punished.

However, Chief Judge Kim ruled, "The plaintiff was hugging Mr. C when he was caught by Captain B, who woke up after hearing Mr. C's resistance, and several wounds were found on Mr. C's body. It is acknowledged that the plaintiff at least used tangible force against the victim's will and forcibly molested her."

He also added, “Although the victim submitted an application for non-punishment, this means that he does not want the incident to be known, and does not mean that there was no fact of molestation.” He added, “The one-month suspension of the plaintiff cannot be considered excessive.”