Recommendation to the Minister of Defence to devise measures such as establishment of regulation for monitoring to prevent recurrence of the violence
o The NHRCK(Chairperson, Hyun Byung-chul) confirmed through ex-officio investigations on alleged abuse and sexual misconduct in ○○ division of Army that there have been cruel treatment such as violence and sexual abuse for 6 months. The NHRCK made recommendations to the Minister of Defence to set a regulation to monitor dispatched military force and to set up measures such as a work manual to prevent recurrence. In addition, it prosecuted 2 discharged soldiers on charge of abuse to the Prosecutor General.
o A civil group that deals with human rights in military filed a complaint to the NHRCK on 6 August, 2013, saying that the victim(private) was verbally, physically and sexually abused by his senior soldiers from October 2012 to April 2013.
o Accordingly, on 31 October 2013, the NHRCK began ex-officio investigations under Article 30 of the National Human Rights Commission Act, as it concluded that deep-seeded malpractices exist in the division concerned and there have been additional human rights violations. The result of the investigation is as follows.
o As a result of the investigation, while the victim, a medic, was dispatched to the division concerned and working there from November 2012 to January 2013, he was verbally, physically and sexually abused by his senior medics who were saying that he's not doing his job rights.
o The NHRCK would like to express its concerns on continued death caused by beating and suicide in military, and it will continue to make efforts to prevent occurrence of similar cases through ex-officio investigations. In addition, the NHRCK plans to improve related regulations through investigations on current situation of systems for protection of rights of soldiers and remedy such as a system that addresses grievances of soldiers and a compensation system for a man of merit.
