Court Upholds Disciplinary Action Against Army Administrator for Sexually Harassing Female Soldiers

A court has ruled that a one-month suspension imposed on an Army administrative supply officer for making inappropriate remarks to female soldiers—such as "Why aren't you wearing makeup?" and "You need to lose weight so men will like you"—was justified.

The court recognized these comments as acts of sexual harassment that warranted disciplinary action.

On May 12, the Chuncheon District Court ruled against the officer, identified as A, who had filed a lawsuit seeking to cancel the disciplinary action.

The court also ordered A to bear the costs of the lawsuit.

A was suspended for one month in April last year after an investigation revealed that he had made sexually harassing remarks to female soldiers on nine separate occasions.

During a company dinner, A told female soldiers to "wear makeup" and added, "You need to learn how to cook well so you can prepare meals for your husbands when you run a household."

Other soldiers present at the time were reportedly shocked, attempting to stop him by saying, "You shouldn't say that" and "You could get reported these days," but the investigation found that he ignored them and continued to make such comments repeatedly.

In the mess hall, he also told a female soldier to "eat less" and pointed to a celebrity poster, reprimanding them by saying, "Even celebrities wear makeup, so why don't you?"

After the disciplinary action was taken, A challenged the decision, claiming it was unfair, and filed a lawsuit with the court.

During the trial, A's side argued, "I was merely offering advice as a senior with more experience in married life," and added, "Furthermore, it was nothing more than a simple mention of the fact that they were not wearing makeup."

The court rejected A's arguments and recognized the remarks as sexual harassment.

The court criticized A, stating, "The defendant made direct comments about the physical appearance of the female victims in public settings on multiple occasions over a significant period." It added, "Given the closed and vertical nature of the military organization, it is evident that the victims felt intimidated by the remarks of the defendant, who was their superior."

The court further noted that there was no reason for the victims to falsely accuse A of incidents that did not occur, and that there were witness testimonies to support the claims.

A has appealed the decision as of June 1.

Reported by Kim Minjeong | Video by Kim Na-on | Graphics by Lee Soo-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.