▲ The Army's Capital Corps conducts integrated artillery live-fire training in Cheorwon.
The military has launched an investigation into allegations that a pregnant female Army captain suffered a miscarriage while enduring verbal abuse and harassment from her superior.
According to the military and the office of Representative Seong Il-jong on Monday, June 15, the Army is currently conducting an inspection of a lieutenant colonel, identified as A, assigned to the Capital Corps.
Lieutenant Colonel A is accused of workplace harassment, including verbal abuse, profanity, and unfair directives, directed at subordinates such as Captain B, a female officer over whom A held authority regarding performance evaluations.
Reports indicate that the verbal abuse and harassment continued even after Captain B disclosed her pregnancy. When she attempted to use the "maternity protection time" policy—which allows pregnant service members to take two hours off per day—A allegedly created an intimidating atmosphere that effectively prevented her from using the benefit.
Furthermore, allegations have been raised that A forced Captain B to arrive early and carry out document delivery duties that required walking up and down the stairs of a six-story building. It is also alleged that A insisted she wear full military gear during training, claiming that because she was in the early stages of pregnancy, her belly was not yet showing.
Critics point out that while psychological and physical stability is crucial during the early stages of pregnancy due to the relatively high risk of miscarriage, Captain B was instead subjected to verbal abuse and an unreasonable workload.
After enduring persistent verbal abuse and harassment, Captain B reportedly suffered from repeated vaginal bleeding and eventually miscarried at 10 weeks of pregnancy.
The Army stated that immediately after becoming aware of the incident, it took measures to separate Lieutenant Colonel A from the workplace and is currently implementing protection measures for Captain B.
"We are thoroughly verifying the objective facts regarding the raised allegations and plan to take strict measures in accordance with laws and regulations based on the investigation results," the Army stated.
The Army added, "The military takes acts that infringe upon human rights, such as workplace harassment, verbal abuse, and assault, very seriously and is implementing necessary measures in accordance with relevant laws and regulations."
(Photo: Provided by the Army Capital Corps, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.